Lesser Crested Tern
Thalasseus bengalensis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusThalasseus (Crested Terns)
- SpeciesThalasseus bengalensis (Lesser Crested Tern)
Closest 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
📅 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
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 9 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 10 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 11 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 12 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Crested Tern in iSimangaliso Wetland Park?
About 5% of visitor-days record a Lesser Crested Tern sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park, based on 69 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
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.