Arctic Tern
Arctic TernArctic TernArctic TernArctic Tern

Arctic Tern

Sterna paradisaea

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
50–60% · Likely
overall probability at Vatnajokull National Park
1,259 Verified records at Vatnajokull 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 →

50–60% of wildlife watchers report a Arctic Tern sighting in Vatnajokull National Park, based on 1,259 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Vatnajokull National Park

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

70–80% · Very likely
European Herring Gull
LC

European Herring Gull

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Larus argentatus

40–50% · Likely
Great Black-backed Gull
LC

Great Black-backed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus marinus

40–50% · Likely
Glaucous Gull
LC

Glaucous Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus hyperboreus

30–40% · Possible
Iceland Gull
LC

Iceland Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus glaucoides

20–30% · Possible
Lesser Black-backed Gull
LC

Lesser Black-backed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus fuscus

20–30% · Possible
Black-legged Kittiwake
VU

Black-legged Kittiwake

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rissa tridactyla

10–20% · With luck
Common Gull
LC

Common Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus canus

10–20% · With luck
Ring-billed Gull
LC

Ring-billed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus delawarensis

Insufficient data
Little Gull
LC

Little Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydrocoloeus minutus

Insufficient data
Sabine's Gull
LC

Sabine's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Xema sabini

Insufficient data
White-winged Tern
LC

White-winged Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias leucopterus

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

5–10
Jan
5–10
Feb
5–10
Mar
<5
Apr
70–80
May
80–90
Jun
80–90
Jul
50–60
Aug
5–10
Sep
5–10
Oct
5–10
Nov
5–10
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 Vatnajokull National Park?

About 56% of wildlife watchers report a Arctic Tern sighting in Vatnajokull National Park, based on 1,259 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

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

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

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