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 →
Closest Relatives at Shenandoah National Park
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
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
Fewer than 5 records of Caspian Tern at Shenandoah National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ 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