Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusSterna (Typical Terns)
- SpeciesSterna hirundo (Common Tern)
The common tern (Sterna hirundo) is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. Breeding adults have light grey upperparts, white to very light grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill. Depending on the subspecies, the bill may be mostly red with a black tip or all black. There are several similar species, including the partly sympatric Arctic tern, which can be separated on plumage details, leg and bill colour, or vocalisations. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Tern sighting in Snowdonia National Park, based on 16 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Snowdonia National Park
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaea
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatus
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinus
Common Gull
Larus canus
Iceland Gull
Larus glaucoides
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Mediterranean Gull
Ichthyaetus melanocephalus
Black-legged Kittiwake
Rissa tridactyla
Little Tern
Sternula albifrons
Little Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutus
📅 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 Snowdonia National Park?
About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Common Tern sighting in Snowdonia National Park, based on 16 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Common Tern in Snowdonia National Park?
September has the highest sighting rate for Common Tern in Snowdonia National Park in our monthly data.