Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusHydroprogne (Caspian Terns)
- SpeciesHydroprogne caspia (Caspian Tern)
The Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia) is the world's largest species of tern, with a subcosmopolitan but scattered distribution. Despite its extensive range, it is monotypic of its genus, and has no accepted subspecies. The genus name is from Ancient Greek hudro-, "water-", and Latin progne, "swallow". The specific caspia is from Latin and, like the English name, refers to the Caspian Sea. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Caspian Tern sighting in Fiordland National Park, based on 19 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Fiordland National Park
Dominican Gull
Larus dominicanus
Black-billed Gull
Chroicocephalus bulleri
Silver Gull
Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
Black-fronted Tern
Chlidonias albostriatus
White-fronted Tern
Sterna striata
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus
Little Tern
Sternula albifrons
Masked Lapwing
Vanellus miles
VOC
Haematopus unicolor
South Island Pied Oystercatcher
Haematopus finschi
White-headed Stilt
Himantopus leucocephalus
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponica
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ 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
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Caspian Tern in Fiordland National Park?
About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Caspian Tern sighting in Fiordland National Park, based on 19 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Caspian Tern in Fiordland National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Caspian Tern in Fiordland National Park in our monthly data.