Black Tern
Black Tern

Black Tern

Chlidonias niger

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Fertő-Hanság National Park
487 Verified sightings at Fertő-Hanság National Park From 2019 to 2026
6,105 Verified sightings across all 47 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the 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. The black tern was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Sterna nigra. Linnaeus specified the type location as Europe but it is now restricted to Uppsala in Sweden. The black tern is now one of four species placed in the genus Chlidonias that was introduced in 1822 by the French naturalist Constantine Rafinesque. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khelidonios, "swallow-like", from khelidon, "swallow": another old English name for the black tern is "carr (i.e. lake) swallow". The species name is from Latin niger "shining black". As its name suggests, it has predominantly dark plumage. In some lights it can appear blue in the breeding season, hence the old English name "blue darr".

Two subspecies are recognised. These are listed below with their breeding ranges. Adults are 25 cm (10 in) long, with a wingspan 61 cm (24 in), and weigh 62... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Fertő-Hanság National Park

Whiskered Tern
LC

Whiskered Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias hybrida

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
White-winged Tern
LC

White-winged Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias leucopterus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Yellow-legged Gull
LC

Yellow-legged Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus michahellis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Common Tern
LC

Common Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna hirundo

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Little Gull
LC

Little Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydrocoloeus minutus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Caspian Gull
LC

Caspian Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus cachinnans

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Common Gull
LC

Common Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus canus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Mediterranean Gull

Mediterranean Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ichthyaetus melanocephalus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Great Black-backed Gull
LC

Great Black-backed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus marinus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Little Tern
LC

Little Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sternula albifrons

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Arctic Tern
LC

Arctic Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna paradisaea

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
2 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
3 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
4 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
5 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
6 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
7 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
8 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
9 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
10 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
11 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
12 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
13 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
14 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
<5%
15 Jaragua National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
<5%
16 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
17 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
18 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
19 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
20 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
21 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
22 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
23 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
24 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
25 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
26 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
28 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
29 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
30 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
31 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
32 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
33 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
34 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
35 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
Insufficient data
36 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
37 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
38 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
39 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
Insufficient data
40 Paracas National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
Insufficient data
41 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
42 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
Insufficient data
43 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
44 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
45 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
46 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
47 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Black Tern in Fertő-Hanság National Park?

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black Tern sighting in Fertő-Hanság National Park, based on 487 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Black Tern in Fertő-Hanság National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for Black Tern in Fertő-Hanság National Park in our monthly data.

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