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 Taroko National Park, based on 11 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Taroko National Park
Black-naped Tern
Sterna sumatrana
Little Tern
Sternula albifrons
Whiskered Tern
Chlidonias hybrida
Crested Tern
Thalasseus bergii
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus
Black-tailed Gull
Larus crassirostris
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
European Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegus
Kentish Plover
Charadrius alexandrinus
Oriental Pratincole
Glareola maldivarum
Grey-tailed Tattler
Tringa brevipes
📅 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 Taroko National Park?
About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Common Tern sighting in Taroko National Park, based on 11 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Common Tern in Taroko National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Common Tern in Taroko National Park in our monthly data.