Forster's Tern
Forster's TernForster's TernForster's Tern

Forster's Tern

Sterna forsteri

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Insufficient data
overall probability at Shenandoah National Park
2 Verified records at Shenandoah National Park
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

Forster's tern (Sterna forsteri) is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name Sterna is derived from Old English "stearn", "tern", and forsteri commemorates the naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster. It breeds inland in North America in the northern United States and southern Canada, and migrates south to winter in the southern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and northern Central America. It is also a rare but annual vagrant in western Europe, and has wintered in Ireland and Great Britain on a number of occasions. This species breeds in colonies in marshes. It nests in a ground scrape and lays two or more eggs. Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Shenandoah National Park

Common Tern
LC

Common Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna hirundo

Insufficient data
Caspian Tern
LC

Caspian Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydroprogne caspia

Insufficient data
Ring-billed Gull
LC

Ring-billed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus delawarensis

<5% · Rare
Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

<5% · Rare
Black Tern
LC

Black Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias niger

<5% · Rare
American Herring Gull
LC

American Herring Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus smithsonianus

<5% · Rare
Franklin's Gull
LC

Franklin's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Insufficient data
Killdeer
NT

Killdeer

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Charadrius vociferus

10–20% · With luck
Spotted Sandpiper
LC

Spotted Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Actitis macularius

5–10% · With luck
Hudsonian Whimbrel

Hudsonian Whimbrel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius hudsonicus

Insufficient data
Willet

Willet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa semipalmata

Insufficient data
Long-billed Dowitcher
NT

Long-billed Dowitcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Limnodromus scolopaceus

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

📊

Fewer than 5 records of Forster's Tern at Shenandoah National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙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 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
20–30%
2 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
20–30%
3 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
4 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
5 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
6 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
5–10%
7 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
5–10%
8 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
9 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
11 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
12 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
13 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
14 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
15 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
16 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
17 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
18 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
19 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
20 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
21 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
22 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
23 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
24 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
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