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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Inca terns gather in large flocks together with gulls.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Inca tern
- Scientific name
- Larosterna inca
- Japanese name
- インカアジサシ
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Laridae
- Genus
- Larosterna
It nests in rock crevices and hollows, and sometimes reuses old Humboldt penguin nests.
It flies slowly over the water, hovering in mid-air to watch for prey. When it spots a fish, it dives down to catch it.
How the Inca tern lives
It also eats plankton. The parents incubate the eggs, and the chicks leave the nest as they grow.
上野動物園Basic data
- Size
- Total length: 39–42 cm
- Weight
- 175–200 g
- Diet
- Small fish and plankton
- Range
- Pacific coast from Ecuador to Chile
Where the Inca tern has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- インカアジサシ
- 简体中文
- 印加燕鸥
- 繁體中文
- 印加燕鷗
- Español
- Charrán inca
- Français
- Sterne inca
- Deutsch
- Inkaseeschwalbe
- Português (Brasil)
- Gaivina-inca
- Italiano
- Sterna inca
- العربية
- خرشنة الإنكا
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Dara-laut inca
- Tiếng Việt
- Mòng biển Inca
- Русский
- Крачка-инка
- Türkçe
- İnka sumrusu
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — インカアジサシChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Inca tern, look for this
- Look for the white, moustache-like feathers that curl from below the eyes down toward the chest.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
上野動物園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Inca tern
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Laridae
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