River Tern
River TernRiver TernRiver TernRiver Tern

River Tern

Sterna aurantia

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
40–50% · Likely
overall probability at Bandipur National Park
92 Verified records at Bandipur National Park
February Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's active at dawn and dusk

The river tern or Indian river tern (Sterna aurantia) is a tern in the family Laridae, the largest species currently included in the genus Sterna of typical terns. It is a resident breeder along inland rivers from Pakistan east through the Indian subcontinent, to Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia, where it is uncommon. Unlike most Sterna terns, it is almost exclusively found on freshwater, rarely venturing even to tidal creeks. Wikipedia →

40–50% of wildlife watchers report a River Tern sighting in Bandipur National Park, based on 92 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Bandipur National Park

Little Tern
LC

Little Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sternula albifrons

<5% · Rare
Gull-billed Tern

Gull-billed Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gelochelidon nilotica

Insufficient data
Brown-headed Gull

Brown-headed Gull

Bird

Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus

Insufficient data
Whiskered Tern
LC

Whiskered Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias hybrida

Insufficient data
Red-wattled Lapwing
LC Endemic

Red-wattled Lapwing

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Vanellus indicus

50–60% · Likely
Common Sandpiper
LC

Common Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Actitis hypoleucos

20–30% · Possible
Wood Sandpiper
LC

Wood Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa glareola

10–20% · With luck
Common Greenshank
LC

Common Greenshank

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa nebularia

10–20% · With luck
Black-winged Stilt
LC

Black-winged Stilt

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Himantopus himantopus

10–20% · With luck
Small Pratincole
LC

Small Pratincole

Bird

Glareola lactea

10–20% · With luck
Green Sandpiper
LC

Green Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa ochropus

5–10% · With luck
Temminck's Stint
LC

Temminck's Stint

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris temminckii

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

60–70
Jan
70–80
Feb
50–60
Mar
40–50
Apr
40–50
May
50–60
Jun
20–30
Jul
20–30
Aug
30–40
Sep
40–50
Oct
20–30
Nov
40–50
Dec

🌅 When They're Spotted

Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)

🌅Crepuscular
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

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 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
40–50%
2 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
40–50%
3 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
30–40%
4 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
20–30%
5 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
20–30%
6 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
7 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
8 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
9 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
10 Hemis National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
11 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
12 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a River Tern in Bandipur National Park?

About 46% of wildlife watchers report a River Tern sighting in Bandipur National Park, based on 92 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see River Tern in Bandipur National Park?

February has the highest sighting rate for River Tern in Bandipur National Park in our monthly data.

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