Sterna fossil map
Where fossils of Sterna have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Prehistoric birds |
|---|---|
| Lived | 4.7 million years ago to the present (Zanclean to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Laridae |
| Named by | Linnaeus 1758 |
| Fossil records | 26 occurrences at 22 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Canada, New Zealand, Micronesia, Federated States of, South Africa, Antarctica, Northern Mariana Islands, Russia, Mexico, Palau … |
| Rock formations | txn:39603, San Diego, Bacons Castle |
About Sterna
Sterna is a genus of terns in the bird family Laridae. The genus used to encompass most "white" terns indiscriminately, but mtDNA sequence comparisons have determined that this arrangement was paraphyletic. It is now restricted to the typical medium-sized white terns with deeply forked tails, which occur near-globally, mostly in coastal regions but several also using freshwater habitats inland.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Sterna (revision 1319561918), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q76366.
