Thalasseus fossil map
Where fossils of Thalasseus 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 | 5.333 million years ago to the present (Zanclean to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Laridae |
| Named by | Boie 1822 |
| Fossil records | 9 occurrences at 9 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, South Africa, Tonga, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Virgin Islands, U.S. |
| Rock formations | txn:39603, Yorktown |
About Thalasseus
Thalasseus, the crested terns, is a genus of eight species of medium-large to large terns in the family Laridae.
The species have a worldwide distribution in temperate and tropical seas, mostly between about 43° N and S latitude, but to 60° N in the warm waters of the North Atlantic Current in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean. They do not occur in colder arctic or antarctic waters. Several of the species are abundant and well-known birds in their ranges; one is however extremely rare and critically endangered. This genus had originally been distinguished by Friedrich Boie in 1822, but had been little used (with one exception in 1978) until a 2005 study confirmed the need for a separate genus for the crested terns.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Thalasseus (revision 1379920071), 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: Q133577.
