Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusHydroprogne (Caspian Terns)
- SpeciesHydroprogne caspia (Caspian Tern)
The Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia) is the world's largest species of tern, with a subcosmopolitan but scattered distribution. Despite its extensive range, it is monotypic of its genus, and has no accepted subspecies. The genus name is from Ancient Greek hudro-, "water-", and Latin progne, "swallow". The specific caspia is from Latin and, like the English name, refers to the Caspian Sea. Wikipedia →
20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Caspian Tern sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park, based on 310 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Namib-Naukluft National Park
Dominican Gull
Larus dominicanus
Hartlaub's Gull
Chroicocephalus hartlaubii
Crested Tern
Thalasseus bergii
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Damara Tern
Sternula balaenarum
Grey-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Sabine's Gull
Xema sabini
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaea
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 Caspian Tern in Namib-Naukluft National Park?
About 25% of wildlife watchers report a Caspian Tern sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park, based on 310 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Caspian Tern in Namib-Naukluft National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Caspian Tern in Namib-Naukluft National Park in our monthly data.