Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida)Where and when to see it in the UK
Status not yet classified · reporting peaks May · Skimmers, Noddies, Terns, and Gulls · BOU category A
Peak months
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.
Whiskered Tern has been recorded in 35 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (1%) in records to 2026. Its strongest squares are in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Reporting peaks in May.
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, LC)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 100% or more of visits
- High
- 3% to 100%
- Moderate
- <1% to 3%
- Low
- under <1%
- Surveyed, not recorded
- at least 20 qualifying visits, no record
- Insufficient records
- too few visits to say
- Lighter fill
- Few visits, lower confidence
- Small dot
- Occasional: a single record, or out of season
Relative to this species' best squares (how classes are calculated)
Seasonality
| Month | Relative to peak | Share of visits | Typical class |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| February | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| March | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| April | 4% | <1% | Very high |
| May | 93% | <1% | Very high |
| June | 48% | <1% | Moderate |
| July | 12% | <1% | Low |
| August | 100% | <1% | Very high |
| September | 21% | <1% | Low |
| October | 12% | <1% | High |
| November | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| December | 0% | <1% | Very high |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in May
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| SO70 | Gloucestershire, England | 100% | Very high |
| ST69 | South Gloucestershire, England | 100% | Very high |
| SZ39 | Hampshire, England | 100% | Very high |
| TL58 | Cambridgeshire, England | 100% | Very high |
| TQ81 | East Sussex, England | 100% | Very high |
| SY58 | Dorset, England | 15% | High |
| SZ09 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, England | 3% | High |
| TR26 | Kent, England | 1% | Moderate |
| NZ52 | Redcar and Cleveland, England | 1% | Moderate |
| SU50 | Hampshire, England | <1% | Moderate |