Sterna dougallii
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The roseate tern (Sterna dougallii) is a species of tern in the family Laridae. The genus name Sterna is derived from Old English "stearn", "tern", and the specific dougallii refers to Scottish physician and collector Dr Peter McDougall (1777–1814). "Roseate" refers to the bird's pink breast in breeding plumage.
English naturalist George Montagu described the roseate tern in 1813. Genetically, it is most closely related to the white-fronted tern (S. striata), with their common ancestor a sister lineage to the black-naped tern (S. sumatrana).
This species has a number of geographical subspecies, differing mainly in bill colour and minor plumage details. S. d. dougallii breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America, and winters south to the Caribbean and west Africa. Both the European and North American populations have been in long-term decline, though active conservation measures have reversed the decline in the last few years at some colonies, most notably at Rockabill Island off the coast of Dublin, Ireland, which now holds most of the European population (about 1200 pairs). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Main Ridge Forest Reserve | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dakar | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 2 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Kaohsiung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 5 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Roseate Tern sighting in Rottnest Island on a given day, based on 36 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 47th most-seen of the 81 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Roseate Tern in Rottnest Island on a given day, against under 5% in July to November, the lowest months. That is one of Rottnest Island's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 120 mm in June.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Roseate 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 4 parks where we can rate Roseate Tern sightings, Rottnest Island has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Ningaloo Marine Park (Australia, about 10%) and Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park (Mexico, under 5%).
Same family: Laridae
The closest relatives of the Roseate Tern that you can see in Rottnest Island (family Laridae, Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers) are Silver Gull (over 90%), Crested Tern (about 90%) and Caspian Tern (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Roseate Tern is recorded against all the birds logged in Rottnest Island (36 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.
