Arctic Tern
Arctic TernArctic TernArctic TernArctic Tern

Arctic Tern

Sterna paradisaea

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
10–20% · With luck
overall probability at Nahanni National Park
10 Verified records at Nahanni National Park
July Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a tern in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and subarctic regions of Europe (as far south as Brittany), Asia, and North America (as far south as Massachusetts). The species is strongly migratory, seeing two summers each year as it migrates along a convoluted route from its northern breeding grounds to the Antarctic coast for the southern summer and back again about six months later. Recent studies have shown average annual round-trip lengths of about 70,900 km (38,300 nmi) for birds nesting in Iceland and Greenland, and about 48,700 km (26,300 nmi) for birds nesting in the Netherlands, while an individual from the Farne Islands in Northumberland with a light level geolocator tag covered a staggering 96,000 km (52,000 nmi) in ten months from the end of one breeding season to the start of the next. These are by far the longest migrations known in the animal kingdom. Arctic terns are medium-sized birds. Wikipedia →

10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Arctic Tern sighting in Nahanni National Park, based on 10 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Nahanni National Park

Short-billed Gull

Short-billed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus brachyrhynchus

Insufficient data
Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

Insufficient data
American Herring Gull
LC

American Herring Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus smithsonianus

Insufficient data
Spotted Sandpiper
LC

Spotted Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Actitis macularius

20–30% · Possible
Lesser Yellowlegs
VU

Lesser Yellowlegs

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa flavipes

20–30% · Possible
Solitary Sandpiper
LC

Solitary Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa solitaria

10–20% · With luck
Wilson's Snipe
LC

Wilson's Snipe

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gallinago delicata

Insufficient data
Red-necked Phalarope
LC

Red-necked Phalarope

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phalaropus lobatus

Insufficient data
Semipalmated Plover
LC

Semipalmated Plover

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Charadrius semipalmatus

Insufficient data
Wandering Tattler

Wandering Tattler

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa incana

Insufficient data
Least Sandpiper
NT

Least Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris minutilla

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

10–20
Jan
10–20
Feb
10–20
Mar
10–20
Apr
10–20
May
10–20
Jun
30–40
Jul
10–20
Aug
10–20
Sep
10–20
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 Thingvellir National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
60–70%
2 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
50–60%
3 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
4 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
5 Gates of the Arctic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
6 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
7 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
8 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
9 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
10 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
11 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
12 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
13 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
14 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
15 Galápagos Islands 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
16 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
17 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
18 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
19 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
Insufficient data
20 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
Insufficient data
21 Isla del Coco National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
22 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
23 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
24 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
25 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Insufficient data
26 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
27 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Arctic Tern in Nahanni National Park?

About 19% of wildlife watchers report a Arctic Tern sighting in Nahanni National Park, based on 10 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Arctic Tern in Nahanni National Park?

July has the highest sighting rate for Arctic Tern in Nahanni National Park in our monthly data.

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