Arctic Tern
Arctic TernArctic TernArctic TernArctic Tern

Arctic Tern

Sterna paradisaea

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
5 Verified records at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
September 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 →

<5% of wildlife watchers report a Arctic Tern sighting in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, based on 5 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Common Tern
LC

Common Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna hirundo

Insufficient data
Glaucous-winged Gull
LC

Glaucous-winged Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus glaucescens

70–80% · Very likely
California Gull
LC

California Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus californicus

30–40% · Possible
Short-billed Gull

Short-billed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus brachyrhynchus

20–30% · Possible
American Herring Gull
LC

American Herring Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus smithsonianus

10–20% · With luck
Iceland Gull
LC

Iceland Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus glaucoides

10–20% · With luck
Western Gull
LC

Western Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus occidentalis

5–10% · With luck
Caspian Tern
LC

Caspian Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydroprogne caspia

<5% · Rare
Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

<5% · Rare
Heermann's Gull
NT

Heermann's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus heermanni

<5% · Rare
Ring-billed Gull
LC

Ring-billed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus delawarensis

<5% · Rare
Black-legged Kittiwake
VU

Black-legged Kittiwake

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rissa tridactyla

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
<5
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 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve?

About 0% of wildlife watchers report a Arctic Tern sighting in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, based on 5 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Arctic Tern in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve?

September has the highest sighting rate for Arctic Tern in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve in our monthly data.

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