Bird Album
Damara Tern
Sternula balaenarum Strickland, 1853
23 cmLength60 gWeight
The Damara tern (Sternula balaenarum) is a species of small tern in the family Laridae which breeds in the southern summer in southern Africa and migrates to tropical African coasts to winter.
Busiest months: November · Most records: Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: November · Most records: Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa
Damara Tern has been recorded at 11 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 5 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Walvis Bay Salt PansNamibia331 records
- Walvis Bay – Lagoon PromenadeNamibia242 records
- Swakopmund Salt WorksNamibia161 records
More places
- Swakop River MouthNamibia25 records
- San Sebastian Peninsula – Land – please consider using different hotspots for birding on the sandbars and islandsMozambique18 records
- Bird Paradise, Walvis BayNamibia16 records
- Kwanza LodgeAngola9 records
- De Hoop Nature ReserveSouth Africa6 records
- St Lucia – iMfolozi River mouthSouth Africa5 records
- Nyonié – Chez BétiGabon2 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 Damara tern (Sternula balaenarum) is a species of small tern in the family Laridae which breeds in the southern summer in southern Africa and migrates to tropical African coasts to winter.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Damara Tern?
The Damara Tern is about 23 cm long and weighs around 60 g.
Where does the Damara Tern live?
Its breeding range: Africa: coastal southern Angola, Namibia and South Africa. It is most often recorded in Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa.
When is the best time to see the Damara Tern?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Damara Tern endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Damara Tern as Least Concern.
What does the Damara Tern eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Damara Tern in?
It belongs to the family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 23 cm
- Weight
- 60 g
- Habitat
- Coast & tidal flats
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 169 mm
- Tail
- 67 mm
- Bill
- 33 mm
- Tarsus
- 14 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: coastal southern Angola, Namibia and South Africa
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Gulls, Terns, Skimmers Laridae
- Genus
- Sternula
Other birds in the genus Sternula
Little TernSternula albifrons
Saunders's TernSternula saundersi
Least TernSternula antillarum
Yellow-billed TernSternula superciliaris
Peruvian TernSternula lorata
Fairy TernSternula nereis
African SkimmerRynchops flavirostris
Indian SkimmerRynchops albicollis
Black SkimmerRynchops niger
Atlantic White TernGygis alba
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Luke Goddard. ↗
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