Lesser Crested Tern
Thalasseus bengalensis
Silhouette: JJ Harrison (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusThalasseus (Crested Terns)
- SpeciesThalasseus bengalensis (Lesser Crested Tern)
About the Lesser Crested Tern
The lesser crested tern (Thalasseus bengalensis) is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek Thalasseus, "fisherman" from thalassa, "sea". The specific bengalensis means "of Bengal", the type locality, historically referring to Bangladesh and part of Northeast India.
It breeds in subtropical coastal parts of the world mainly from the Red Sea across the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific, and Australia, with a significant population on the southern coast of the Mediterranean on two islands off the Libyan coast. It is an occasional vagrant to Europe, where it has been known to breed in pure and mixed (with Sandwich tern) pairs. The Australian birds are probably sedentary, but other populations are migratory, wintering south to South Africa.
This bird has three geographical subspecies, differing mainly in size and minor plumage details: T. b. emigratus (Neumann, 1934): breeding in the Mediterranean on islands off the coast of Libya, wintering West Africa. Pale grey above (only marginally darker than Sandwich tern); slightly larger.
T. b. bengalensis (Lesson, 1831): northern Indian Ocean including the Red Sea... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Lesser Crested Tern in iSimangaliso Wetland Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Crested Tern
Thalasseus bergii
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Grey-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Whiskered Tern
Chlidonias hybrida
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Little Tern
Sternula albifrons
Dominican Gull
Larus dominicanus
Sooty Tern
Onychoprion fuscatus
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus
Brown Noddy
Anous stolidus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Komodo National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 7 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 8 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 10 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | Bako National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 12 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 14 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 15 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 16 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 17 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Crested Tern in iSimangaliso Wetland Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Crested Tern sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park, based on 84 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Lesser Crested Tern in iSimangaliso Wetland Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Lesser Crested Tern in iSimangaliso Wetland Park in our monthly data.