Common Tern
Common TernCommon TernCommon TernCommon Tern

Common Tern

Sterna hirundo

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Cairngorms National Park
19 Verified records at Cairngorms National Park
June Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The common tern (Sterna hirundo) is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. Breeding adults have light grey upperparts, white to very light grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill. Depending on the subspecies, the bill may be mostly red with a black tip or all black. There are several similar species, including the partly sympatric Arctic tern, which can be separated on plumage details, leg and bill colour, or vocalisations. Wikipedia →

<5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Tern sighting in Cairngorms National Park, based on 19 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Cairngorms National Park

Arctic Tern
LC

Arctic Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna paradisaea

Insufficient data
Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

30–40% · Possible
Common Gull
LC

Common Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus canus

30–40% · Possible
European Herring Gull
LC

European Herring Gull

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Larus argentatus

10–20% · With luck
Lesser Black-backed Gull
LC

Lesser Black-backed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus fuscus

5–10% · With luck
Great Black-backed Gull
LC

Great Black-backed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus marinus

<5% · Rare
Black-legged Kittiwake
VU

Black-legged Kittiwake

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rissa tridactyla

Insufficient data
Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Insufficient data
Little Tern
LC

Little Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sternula albifrons

Insufficient data
European Oystercatcher
NT

European Oystercatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haematopus ostralegus

30–40% · Possible
Northern Lapwing
NT

Northern Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus vanellus

20–30% · Possible
Eurasian Curlew
NT

Eurasian Curlew

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius arquata

20–30% · Possible

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

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 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
30–40%
2 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
3 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
4 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
20–30%
5 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
10–20%
6 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
10–20%
7 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
10–20%
8 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
10–20%
9 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
10–20%
10 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
11 Jaragua National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
10–20%
12 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
5–10%
13 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
5–10%
14 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
15 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
16 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
5–10%
17 Isla del Coco National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
5–10%
18 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
5–10%
19 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
20 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
21 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
22 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
23 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
24 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
25 Paracas National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
26 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
27 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
28 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
29 Gauja National Park 🇱🇻 Latvia
<5%
30 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
31 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
32 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
33 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
34 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
35 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
<5%
36 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
37 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
38 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
<5%
39 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
40 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
41 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
42 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
43 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
44 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
<5%
45 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
46 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
47 Hemis National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
48 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
<5%
49 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
50 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
51 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
52 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
53 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
54 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
55 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
56 Galápagos Islands 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
57 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
58 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
59 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
60 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
61 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
62 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
63 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
64 Main Ridge Forest Reserve 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Insufficient data
65 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
66 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
67 Península Valdés 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
68 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
69 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
70 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
71 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
72 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Insufficient data
73 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
74 Los Haitises National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
Insufficient data
75 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
76 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
77 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
78 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
79 Ranomafana National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
Insufficient data
80 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
81 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
82 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
83 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
84 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
85 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
86 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Common Tern in Cairngorms National Park?

About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Common Tern sighting in Cairngorms National Park, based on 19 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Common Tern in Cairngorms National Park?

June has the highest sighting rate for Common Tern in Cairngorms National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Cairngorms National Park