Chlidonias niger
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The black tern (Chlidonias niger) is a small tern generally found in or near inland water that breeds in Europe, Western Asia and North America. In winter the birds migrate to coastal areas of Africa and South America. The black tern was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Sterna nigra. Linnaeus specified the type location as Europe but it is now restricted to Uppsala in Sweden. The black tern is now one of four species placed in the genus Chlidonias that was introduced in 1822 by the French naturalist Constantine Rafinesque. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khelidonios, "swallow-like", from khelidon, "swallow": another old English name for the black tern is "carr (i.e. lake) swallow". The species name is from Latin niger "shining black". As its name suggests, it has predominantly dark plumage. In some lights it can appear blue in the breeding season, hence the old English name "blue darr".
Two subspecies are recognised. These are listed below with their breeding ranges. Adults are 25 cm (10 in) long, with a wingspan 61 cm (24 in), and weigh 62... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dakar | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 2 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 3 | Bucharest | 🇷🇴 Romania | |
| 4 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 7 | Barranquilla | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 8 | Istanbul | 🇹🇷 Turkey | |
| 9 | Saint Petersburg | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 10 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Black Tern sighting in Dakar on a given day, based on 67 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 152 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Black Tern in Dakar on a given day, against about 10% in December to February, the lowest months. That is one of Dakar's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain against almost none in May.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Tern sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 30 cities where we can rate Black Tern sightings, Dakar has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Accra (Ghana, about 10%) and Bucharest (Romania, under 5%).
Same family: Laridae
The closest relatives of the Black Tern that you can see in Dakar (family Laridae, Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers) are Sandwich Tern (about 50%), Caspian Tern (about 40%) and West African Crested Tern (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Tern is recorded against all the birds logged in Dakar (67 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
