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 Garden Route National Park, based on 35 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Garden Route National Park
Dominican Gull
Larus dominicanus
Crested Tern
Thalasseus bergii
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Grey-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Hartlaub's Gull
Chroicocephalus hartlaubii
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Whiskered Tern
Chlidonias hybrida
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus
Roseate Tern
Sterna dougallii
Little Tern
Sternula albifrons
Blacksmith Lapwing
Vanellus armatus
📅 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 Garden Route National Park?
About 4% of wildlife watchers report a Caspian Tern sighting in Garden Route National Park, based on 35 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Caspian Tern in Garden Route National Park?
July has the highest sighting rate for Caspian Tern in Garden Route National Park in our monthly data.