Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusSterna (Typical Terns)
- SpeciesSterna hirundo (Common Tern)
Closest Relatives at Namib-Naukluft National Park
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaea
Dominican Gull
Larus dominicanus
Hartlaub's Gull
Chroicocephalus hartlaubii
Crested Tern
Thalasseus bergii
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Damara Tern
Sternula balaenarum
Grey-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Sabine's Gull
Xema sabini
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus
Little Tern
Sternula albifrons
📅 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 Common Tern in Namib-Naukluft National Park?
About 23% of visitor-days record a Common Tern sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park, based on 285 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see Common Tern in Namib-Naukluft National Park?
November has the highest sighting rate for Common Tern in Namib-Naukluft National Park in our monthly data.