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 Tsavo East National Park
Roseate Tern
Sterna dougallii
White-cheeked Tern
Sterna repressa
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica
Lesser Crested Tern
Thalasseus bengalensis
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus
Sooty Gull
Ichthyaetus hemprichii
Crested Tern
Thalasseus bergii
Little Tern
Sternula albifrons
Brown Noddy
Anous stolidus
Lesser Noddy
Anous tenuirostris
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Sooty Tern
Onychoprion fuscatus
📅 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 Tsavo East National Park?
About 2% of visitor-days record a Common Tern sighting in Tsavo East National Park, based on 31 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see Common Tern in Tsavo East National Park?
September has the highest sighting rate for Common Tern in Tsavo East National Park in our monthly data.