Editing Inca tern (section)

==Distribution and habitat==
The Inca tern is an inhabitant of the [[Humboldt Current]] region. It breeds from [[Lobos de Tierra]], in northern Perú, south to the [[Aconcagua River]], near [[Valparaíso]], Chile. Some disperse north into Ecuador after breeding,<ref name=INTE-BOW/><ref name=SACCcountries/> and south to the [[Puerto Montt]] area of Chile, where multiple 'research-grade' sightings with photos on the [[biodiversity]] database [[iNaturalist]],<ref>{{cite web | title=Observations | website=iNaturalist | date=2008-04-03 | url=https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=-41.46&nelng=-72.88&subview=map&swlat=-41.50&swlng=-72.96&taxon_id=4551 | access-date=2025-02-28}}</ref> including a group of four together.<ref>{{cite web | title=Inca Tern (Larosterna inca) | publisher=iNaturalist | date=2023-05-24 | url=https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/165584658 | access-date=2025-02-28}}</ref> It is a casual visitor to [[Panama|Panamá]] and [[Costa Rica]], and has also been recorded as a [[vagrancy (biology)|vagrant]] in [[Guatemala]] and Hawaii.<ref name=63Supp/> The documented Hawaiian birds, in particular, remained from March through November on the [[Hawaiian Islands|Hawaiian archipelago]].<ref name=63Supp/>

The South American Classification Committee of the [[American Ornithological Society]] treats the Inca tern's presence in [[Colombia]] as "hypothetical", due to a number of unverified or undocumented sightings.<ref name="SACCcountries" /> On iNaturalist, one 'research-grade' sighting (with photo) has been documented from the coast of [[Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca|Buenaventura]], Colombia's Isla Cascajal, dated July 2023;<ref>{{Cite web |last=INaturalist |first=Ignaranjo |date=15 July 2023 |title=Observations • iNaturalist |url=https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/174785219 |access-date=10 June 2024}}</ref> however, the species' popularity in captivity (see [[#Captivity|Captivity]] below) complicates assessment of extralimital records.

The Inca tern nests on [[Cliffed coast|sea cliffs]] and [[guano]] islands, as well as manmade structures (such as ledges under piers) and abandoned barges. It will gather with other sea and shorebirds on sandy beaches.<ref name=INTE-BOW/><ref name=Harrison/>