South American Tern
Sterna hirundinacea
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusSterna (Typical Terns)
- SpeciesSterna hirundinacea (South American Tern)
Closest Relatives at Torres del Paine National Park
Brown-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus maculipennis
Dominican Gull
Larus dominicanus
Southern Lapwing
Vanellus chilensis
Magellanic Oystercatcher
Haematopus leucopodus
Magellanic Snipe
Gallinago magellanica
Least Seedsnipe
Thinocorus rumicivorus
Wilson's Phalarope
Phalaropus tricolor
Baird's Sandpiper
Calidris bairdii
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
Hudsonian Godwit
Limosa haemastica
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
Gray-breasted Seedsnipe
Thinocorus orbignyianus
📅 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 | Península Valdés | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Tierra del Fuego National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Torres del Paine National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 4 | Paracas National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 5 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 6 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a South American Tern in Torres del Paine National Park?
About 5% of visitor-days record a South American Tern sighting in Torres del Paine National Park, based on 62 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see South American Tern in Torres del Paine National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for South American Tern in Torres del Paine National Park in our monthly data.