Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusSterna (Typical Terns)
- SpeciesSterna forsteri (Forster's Tern)
Closest Relatives at Big Cypress National Preserve
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximus
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Least Tern
Sternula antillarum
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica
📅 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 Forster's Tern in Big Cypress National Preserve?
About 1% of visitor-days record a Forster's Tern sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve, based on 21 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see Forster's Tern in Big Cypress National Preserve?
January has the highest sighting rate for Forster's Tern in Big Cypress National Preserve in our monthly data.