Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusSterna (Typical Terns)
- SpeciesSterna forsteri (Forster's Tern)
Closest Relatives at Yellowstone National Park
California Gull
Larus californicus
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Larus pipixcan
Leucophaeus pipixcan
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Sabine's Gull
Xema sabini
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Wilson's Snipe
Gallinago delicata
American Avocet
Recurvirostra americana
Wilson's Phalarope
Phalaropus tricolor
📅 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 Forster's Tern in Yellowstone National Park?
About 0% of visitor-days record a Forster's Tern sighting in Yellowstone National Park, based on 5 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see Forster's Tern in Yellowstone National Park?
July has the highest sighting rate for Forster's Tern in Yellowstone National Park in our monthly data.