Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusSterna (Typical Terns)
- SpeciesSterna hirundo (Common Tern)
Closest Relatives at Acadia National Park
Roseate Tern
Sterna dougallii
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaea
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinus
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Black-legged Kittiwake
Rissa tridactyla
Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
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 Common Tern in Acadia National Park?
About 12% of visitor-days record a Common Tern sighting in Acadia National Park, based on 1408 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see Common Tern in Acadia National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Common Tern in Acadia National Park in our monthly data.