Forster's Tern
Forster's TernForster's TernForster's Tern

Forster's Tern

Sterna forsteri

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
5–10% · With luck
overall probability at Celestún Biosphere Reserve
124 Verified records at Celestún Biosphere Reserve
November Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

Forster's tern (Sterna forsteri) is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name Sterna is derived from Old English "stearn", "tern", and forsteri commemorates the naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster. It breeds inland in North America in the northern United States and southern Canada, and migrates south to winter in the southern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and northern Central America. It is also a rare but annual vagrant in western Europe, and has wintered in Ireland and Great Britain on a number of occasions. This species breeds in colonies in marshes. It nests in a ground scrape and lays two or more eggs. Wikipedia →

5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Forster's Tern sighting in Celestún Biosphere Reserve, based on 124 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Celestún Biosphere Reserve

Common Tern
LC

Common Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna hirundo

5–10% · With luck
Laughing Gull
LC

Laughing Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus atricilla

60–70% · Likely
Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus sandvicensis

40–50% · Possible
Royal Tern

Royal Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus maximus

30–40% · Possible
Grey Gull

Grey Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus modestus

20–30% · With luck
Sooty Tern

Sooty Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Onychoprion fuscatus

Insufficient data
Black Skimmer
LC

Black Skimmer

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rynchops niger

10–20% · With luck
Caspian Tern
LC

Caspian Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydroprogne caspia

5–10% · With luck
American Herring Gull
LC

American Herring Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus smithsonianus

5–10% · With luck
Franklin's Gull
LC

Franklin's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus pipixcan

5–10% · With luck
Least Tern
LC

Least Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sternula antillarum

5–10% · With luck
Ring-billed Gull
LC

Ring-billed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus delawarensis

5–10% · With luck

📅 Monthly Probability

10–20
Jan
5–10
Feb
10–20
Mar
<5
Apr
5–10
May
<5
Jun
5–10
Jul
5–10
Aug
5–10
Sep
5–10
Oct
10–20
Nov
10–20
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 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
20–30%
2 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
20–30%
3 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
4 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
5 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
6 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
5–10%
7 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
5–10%
8 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
9 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
11 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
12 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
13 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
14 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
15 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
16 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
17 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
18 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
19 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
20 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
21 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
22 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
23 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
24 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Forster's Tern in Celestún Biosphere Reserve?

About 8% of wildlife watchers report a Forster's Tern sighting in Celestún Biosphere Reserve, based on 124 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Forster's Tern in Celestún Biosphere Reserve?

November has the highest sighting rate for Forster's Tern in Celestún Biosphere Reserve in our monthly data.

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