Question 1

What are the chances of seeing a Little Tern in Raja Ampat?

Accepted Answer

Rare. Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Little Tern sighting in Raja Ampat on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 170th most-seen of the 200 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Question 2

When is the best time to see a Little Tern in Raja Ampat?

Accepted Answer

May. In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Little Tern in Raja Ampat on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months.

Question 3

What time of day is best to see a Little Tern?

Accepted Answer

Between 9 am and noon. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Little Tern sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Question 4

Is Raja Ampat the best place to see a Little Tern?

Accepted Answer

19th of 24. Of the 24 parks where we can rate Little Tern sightings, Raja Ampat ranks 19th at under 5%. The best odds are in Bali Barat National Park (Indonesia, about 30%), Sundarbans National Park (India, about 20%) and Yala National Park (Sri Lanka, about 20%).

Question 5

Which relatives of the Little Tern live in Raja Ampat?

Accepted Answer

Same family: Laridae. The closest relatives of the Little Tern that you can see in Raja Ampat (family Laridae, Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers) are Crested Tern (about 20%), Common Tern (about 10%) and Bridled Tern (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Question 6

Where does the Little Tern sighting chance come from?

Accepted Answer

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Little Tern is recorded against all the birds logged in Raja Ampat (18 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Bali Barat National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~30%
2	Sundarbans National Park	🇮🇳 India	~20%
3	Yala National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	~20%
4	Bako National Park	🇲🇾 Malaysia	~20%
5	West Coast National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
6	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
7	Camargue	🇫🇷 France	~10%
8	Doñana National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	~10%
9	Noosa National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	~10%
10	Wilpattu National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	~10%
11	Satpura National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
12	Wadden Sea National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	~10%
13	Udawalawe National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	<5%
14	Komodo National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	<5%
15	Ningaloo Marine Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
16	Cape Range	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
17	Wilsons Promontory National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
18	Tangkoko Nature Reserve	🇮🇩 Indonesia	<5%
19	Raja Ampat	🇮🇩 Indonesia	<5%
20	Minneriya National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	<5%
21	Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary	🇲🇾 Malaysia	<5%
22	Daintree National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
23	Nagarhole National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
24	Monfragüe National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%

#	City	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Denpasar	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~30%
2	Manama	🇧🇭 Bahrain	~30%
3	Makassar	🇮🇩 Indonesia	~20%
4	Dakar	🇸🇳 Senegal	~20%
5	Novosibirsk	🇷🇺 Russia	~10%
6	Kuching	🇲🇾 Malaysia	~10%
7	Naha	🇯🇵 Japan	~10%
8	Karachi	🇵🇰 Pakistan	~10%
9	Nizhny Novgorod	🇷🇺 Russia	~10%
10	Kuwait City	🇰🇼 Kuwait	~10%

Little Tern

About the Little Tern

Sounds

Recent sightings of Little Tern in Raja Ampat

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Cities Where Found

Closest Relatives at Raja Ampat

Crested Tern

Common Tern

Bridled Tern

Black-naped Tern

Lesser Crested Tern

Sooty Tern

Whiskered Tern

Brown Noddy

Black Noddy

Common Sandpiper

Whimbrel

Pacific Golden-Plover

Before you go