Caspian Tern

Hydroprogne caspia (Pallas, 1770)

48–60 cmLength134 cmWingspan655 gWeight

The world’s largest tern has a long, thick red-orange bill and a black cap.

Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada, Australia

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Bill long, thick and red-orange, with a small black tip
Head white with a black cap; neck white
Back and upperwing pale gray
Tail shallowly forked and underside of wingtips black in flight

Voice

A loud, heron-like quacking call.

Where and when it's recorded

Caspian Tern has been recorded at 2,268 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 132 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, Lincoln Park, ChicagoUnited States20,033 records
IRWD San Joaquin Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary, IrvineUnited States11,078 records
Edwin B. Forsythe NWRUnited States9,448 records

More places

Howard Marsh MetroparkUnited States8,387 records
Tommy Thompson ParkCanada6,926 records
Bolsa Chica Ecological ReserveUnited States6,894 records
Bombay Hook National Wildlife RefugeUnited States6,768 records
Pte. Mouillee SGAUnited States6,767 records
South Padre Is. – Birding and Nature CenterUnited States6,752 records
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWRUnited States6,422 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United States Canada Australia New Zealand China Israel Mexico Spain

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

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".

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Caspian Tern?

The Caspian Tern is about 48–60 cm long, with a wingspan of 134 cm and weighs around 655 g.

Where does the Caspian Tern live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, Oriental, Australasia, North America: patchily coastal Baltic Sea and inland southeastern Europe to western Mongolia and Ussuriland (southeastern Russia) and northeastern China and southern Asian coasts; coastal and inland western and southern Africa; Europa (west of southern Madagascar, Mozambique Channel), coastal Madagascar and Aldabra group (southwestern Seychelles); coastal Australia and New Zealand (North, South and Stewart islands) and inland northern, eastern Australia; inland Northwest Territories to central California, Great Lakes and northeastern Canada. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Australia.

When is the best time to see the Caspian Tern?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Caspian Tern endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Caspian Tern as Least Concern.

What does the Caspian Tern eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Caspian Tern in?

It belongs to the family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Length: 48–60 cm
Wingspan: 134 cm
Weight: 655 g
Habitat: Wetland
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: Feeds in the air
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 411 mm
Tail: 149 mm
Bill: 79 mm
Tarsus: 43 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic, Oriental, Australasia, North America: patchily coastal Baltic Sea and inland southeastern Europe to western Mongolia and Ussuriland (southeastern Russia) and northeastern China and southern Asian coasts; coastal and inland western and southern Africa; Europa (west of southern Madagascar, Mozambique Channel), coastal Madagascar and Aldabra group (southwestern Seychelles); coastal Australia and New Zealand (North, South and Stewart islands) and inland northern, eastern Australia; inland Northwest Territories to central California, Great Lakes and northeastern Canada

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2