Whiskered Tern
Chlidonias hybrida
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusChlidonias (Marsh Terns)
- SpeciesChlidonias hybrida (Whiskered Tern)
The whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida) is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khelidonios, "swallow-like", from khelidon, "swallow". The specific hybridus is Latin for hybrid; Peter Simon Pallas thought it might be a hybrid of white-winged black tern and common tern, writing "Sterna fissipes [Chlidonias leucopterus] et Hirundine [Sterna hirundo] natam". Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Whiskered Tern sighting in Murchison Falls National Park, based on 6 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Murchison Falls National Park
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus
African Skimmer
Rynchops flavirostris
Grey-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Slender-billed Gull
Chroicocephalus genei
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Spur-winged Lapwing
Vanellus spinosus
African Jacana
Actophilornis africanus
African Wattled Lapwing
Vanellus senegallus
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Black-headed Lapwing
Vanellus tectus
📅 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 Whiskered Tern in Murchison Falls National Park?
About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Whiskered Tern sighting in Murchison Falls National Park, based on 6 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Whiskered Tern in Murchison Falls National Park?
May has the highest sighting rate for Whiskered Tern in Murchison Falls National Park in our monthly data.