NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Peruvian Tern
Sternula lorata (Philippi & Landbeck, 1861)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Peruvian tern (Sternula lorata) is a species of tern in the family Laridae.
Found in northern Chile, Ecuador, and Peru, its natural habitats are hot deserts, sandy shores, and coastal saline lagoons. It is threatened by habitat loss.
In Spanish, it is known as the "charrancito Peruano" or "gaviotín chico".
Wikipedia contributors, Peruvian tern; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:30:31.792260+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sternula lorata (Philippi & Landbeck, 1861)
- Name authority
- (Philippi & Landbeck, 1861)
- Common name
- Peruvian Tern
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Laridae
- Genus
- Sternula
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyLaridae
- genusSternula F. Boie, 1822
- speciesSternula lorata (Philippi & Landbeck, 1861)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sternula. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Fairy TernSternula nereis Gould, 1843 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-billed TernSternula superciliaris (Vieillot, 1819) | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Saunders's TernSternula saundersi (Hume, 1877) | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Little TernSternula albifrons (Pallas, 1764) | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Least TernSternula antillarum R. Lesson, 1847 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Damara TernSternula balaenarum Strickland, 1853 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Sterna lorata Philippi & Landbeck, 1861 Philippi & Landbeck, 1861 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=824129 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:52G28. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.