Black Tern
Black Tern

Black Tern

Chlidonias niger

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Namib-Naukluft National Park
48 Verified sightings at Namib-Naukluft National Park From 2019 to 2026
6,105 Verified sightings across all 47 parks From 2019 to 2026
November 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 Namib-Naukluft National Park

White-winged Tern
LC

White-winged Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias leucopterus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Dominican Gull
LC

Dominican Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus dominicanus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Hartlaub's Gull

Hartlaub's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus hartlaubii

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Crested Tern
LC

Crested Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus bergii

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Caspian Tern
LC

Caspian Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydroprogne caspia

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Common Tern
LC

Common Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna hirundo

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Sandwich Tern
LC

Sandwich Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Damara Tern
LC

Damara Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sternula balaenarum

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Grey-hooded Gull

Grey-hooded Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Sabine's Gull
LC

Sabine's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Xema sabini

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
West African Crested Tern

West African Crested Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus albididorsalis

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 Namib-Naukluft National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black Tern sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park, based on 48 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Black Tern in Namib-Naukluft National Park?

November has the highest sighting rate for Black Tern in Namib-Naukluft National Park in our monthly data.

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