Swallow-tailed Gull
Creagrus furcatus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusCreagrus
- SpeciesCreagrus furcatus (Swallow-tailed Gull)
The swallow-tailed gull (Creagrus furcatus) is an equatorial seabird in the gull family, Laridae. It is the only species in the genus Creagrus, which derives from the Latin Creagra and the Greek kreourgos which means butcher, also from kreas, meat; according to Jobling it would mean "hook for meat" referring to the hooked bill of this species. It was first described by French naturalist and surgeon Adolphe-Simon Neboux in 1846. Its scientific name is originally derived from the Greek word for gull, "Glaros" and via Latin Larus, "gull" and furca "two-tined fork". It spends most of its life flying and hunting over the open ocean. The main breeding location is in the Galápagos Islands, particularly the rocky shores and cliffs of Hood, Tower and Wolf Islands, with lower numbers on most of the other islands. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Machalilla National Park
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Inca Tern
Larosterna inca
Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximus
Elegant Tern
Thalasseus elegans
Franklin's Gull
Leucophaeus pipixcan
Sabine's Gull
Xema sabini
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Grey-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
South American Tern
Sterna hirundinacea
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Swallow-tailed Gull at Machalilla National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Paracas National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |