27 Inca Tern Facts: The Bird With a Mustache (Larosterna inca)

The Inca tern (Larosterna inca) is a tern in the family Laridae. It is the only member of the genus Larosterna.

This uniquely plumaged bird breeds on the coasts of Peru and Chile, and is restricted to the Humboldt Current. In 2020 a single Inca Tern successfully made the south shore of Oahu, Hawaii, its home. It is an erratic, rare visitor to the southwest coast of Ecuador. It can be identified by its dark grey body, white moustache on both sides of its head, and red-orange beak and feet.