Caspian tern

Hydroprogne caspia

The Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia) is a bird found in United States, Canada, Sweden and Australia. Coasts and lakes on every continent except Antarctica. It eats fish, small mammals and birds and dead animals (carrion). The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

See the Caspian tern on the 3D globe →

Scientific name	Hydroprogne caspia
Region	North America
Found in	United States, Canada, Sweden and Australia

🏡 Where the Caspian tern lives

Coasts and lakes on every continent except Antarctica.

🍽️ What it eats

🐟 Fish80%
🐭 Mammals & birds10%
🦴 Leftovers (carrion)10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 The biggest tern in the world, with a bright red-orange bill.

Hear the Caspian tern

Recorded by David Darrell-Lambert (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1034436. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Caspian tern

Where does the Caspian tern live?

The Caspian tern lives in United States, Canada, Sweden and Australia. Coasts and lakes on every continent except Antarctica.

What does the Caspian tern eat?

fish (about 80%), small mammals and birds (about 10%), dead animals (carrion) (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Caspian tern endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from North America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.