Western Cape
Goukamma · Table Mountain · Keurbooms River
Self-driveMalaria-free
Stays in Western CapeWhere to see
Where to see the Common Tern in South Africa
Hosts have recorded the Common Tern at stays in or beside Goukamma Nature Reserve, Table Mountain National Park and iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
Sterna hirundo
Planning a trip
When and where to find the Common Tern
Hosts have recorded the Common Tern at stays in or beside Goukamma Nature Reserve, Table Mountain National Park and iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
Best hours of the day
- The first hours after sunrise, and late afternoon. Birds call and feed most in the cool.
- Midday. Quieter, especially in summer heat.
Where to base yourself
- Western Cape
KwaZulu-Natal
iSimangaliso Wetland
KwaZulu-NatalStays in KwaZulu-Natal
Ways to look
Drive yourself
Your own vehicle and pace, on the park's roads.
Where hosts record it
Species
Sterna hirundo
Records
1,103
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the Common Tern on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
Which parks and reserves are best for the Common Tern in South Africa?
Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Common Tern at stays in or beside Goukamma Nature Reserve, Table Mountain National Park, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Keurbooms River Nature Reserve, Kogelberg Nature Reserve and Robberg Nature Reserve. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.
Where can you see the Common Tern in South Africa?
The Common Tern is most recorded in Western Cape (70% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (18% of records), Eastern Cape (12% of records), based on 1,103 iNaturalist observations. 15 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Common Tern on site or nearby.
When is the best time to see the Common Tern?
The Common Tern is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Goukamma Nature Reserve: year-round, warm Oct-Apr; Table Mountain National Park: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct; iSimangaliso Wetland Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep; Keurbooms River Nature Reserve: year-round. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.
What is the Common Tern?
The common tern (Sterna hirundo) is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions.
Stays that give back
Where to stay for a chance to see the Common Tern
Every stay on the Common Tern page lists the species its host has recorded on or near the property. A record is a sighting, never a promise.
See where to stay