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 Joshua Tree National Park, based on 14 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Joshua Tree National Park
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Western Gull
Larus occidentalis
California Gull
Larus californicus
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
Franklin's Gull
Leucophaeus pipixcan
Heermann's Gull
Larus heermanni
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Baird's Sandpiper
Calidris bairdii
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
📅 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 Joshua Tree National Park?
About 0% of wildlife watchers report a Caspian Tern sighting in Joshua Tree National Park, based on 14 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Caspian Tern in Joshua Tree National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Caspian Tern in Joshua Tree National Park in our monthly data.