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 →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Caspian Tern sighting in Point Pelee National Park, based on 791 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Point Pelee National Park
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinus
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Little Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutus
Black-legged Kittiwake
Rissa tridactyla
Iceland Gull
Larus glaucoides
📅 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 Point Pelee National Park?
About 6% of wildlife watchers report a Caspian Tern sighting in Point Pelee National Park, based on 791 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Caspian Tern in Point Pelee National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Caspian Tern in Point Pelee National Park in our monthly data.