Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusChlidonias (Marsh Terns)
- SpeciesChlidonias niger (Black Tern)
The black tern (Chlidonias niger) is a small tern generally found in or near inland water that breeds in Europe, Western Asia and North America. In winter the birds migrate to coastal areas of Africa and South America. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Black Tern sighting in Shenandoah National Park, based on 30 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Shenandoah National Park
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Franklin's Gull
Leucophaeus pipixcan
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Hudsonian Whimbrel
Numenius hudsonicus
Willet
Tringa semipalmata
Long-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus scolopaceus
📅 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 Black Tern in Shenandoah National Park?
About 0% of wildlife watchers report a Black Tern sighting in Shenandoah National Park, based on 30 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Black Tern in Shenandoah National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Black Tern in Shenandoah National Park in our monthly data.