Thalasseus albididorsalis
Silhouette: JJ Harrison (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The West African crested tern (Thalasseus albididorsalis) is a bird species in the family Laridae. Until 2020 it was considered a subspecies of the New World royal tern, Thalasseus maximus. The West African crested tern was long thought to be a subspecies of royal tern. A study published in 2005 showed that it is more closely related to the lesser crested tern (Thalasseus bengalensis), and a 2017 publication confirmed and expanded on those results.
The West African crested tern is one of the three larger crested terns, along with royal tern and greater crested tern. Its tail is shallowly forked and the adult's bill is long and orange. It is about 50 cm (20 in) long, with a wingspan between 125–135 cm (49–53 in), and weighs 320–440 g (11–16 oz) with a mean weight of 367 g (12.9 oz). In breeding plumage its underside is white and upper parts silvery grey; the top of the head is black with a shaggy crest at the rear. As in all Thalasseus terns, the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dakar | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 2 | Luanda | 🇦🇴 Angola | |
| 3 | Freetown | 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | |
| 4 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 5 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a West African Crested Tern sighting in Dakar on a given day, based on 96 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 19th most-seen of the 152 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a West African Crested Tern in Dakar on a given day, against about 20% in February to August, the lowest months. That is one of Dakar's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain against almost none in May.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most West African Crested 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 5 cities where we can rate West African Crested Tern sightings, Dakar has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Luanda (Angola, about 10%) and Freetown (Sierra Leone, about 10%).
Same genus: Thalasseus
The closest relatives of the West African Crested Tern that you can see in Dakar (genus Thalasseus, Crested Terns) are Sandwich Tern (about 50%) and Lesser Crested Tern (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the West African Crested Tern is recorded against all the birds logged in Dakar (96 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.
