WhenToBird

Chlidonias niger · Laridae

When Do Black Terns Arrive in Texas?

Adult Black Tern
Photo: rober025, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black Terns arrive in Texas in the second week of July, peak in mid August (3.0% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 8-14the second week of July
Common byJul 8-14the second week of July
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Most gone bySep 15-21mid September

Best: mid August. First arrivals the second week of July; most are gone by mid September. Peak: on about 3.0% of Texas checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octrare
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.8% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.4% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.9% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.9% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.4% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.1% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.1% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.6% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.7% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.1% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.8% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.4% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.5% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.2% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.2% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.9% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.2% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.8% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.2% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 73015 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Texas that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kleberg CountyBest late July · 138 checklists that week, 9,722 in all29%
  2. Kenedy CountyBest early August · 10 checklists that week, 2,652 in all25%
  3. Nueces CountyBest the second week of August · 664 checklists that week, 86,594 in all21%
  4. Baylor CountyBest early August · 11 checklists that week, 537 in all20%
  5. Willacy CountyBest mid August · 30 checklists that week, 4,072 in all20%
  6. Hartley CountyBest late August · 13 checklists that week, 460 in all18%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. I.B. Magee Jr Beach Park and Horace Caldwell PierNueces County, best late August · 27 checklists that week, 2,611 in all92%
  2. Big Reef Nature ParkGalveston County, best the second week of August · 35 checklists that week, 1,664 in all78%
  3. Bolivar Flats Shorebird SanctuaryGalveston County, best the second week of May · 72 checklists that week, 4,029 in all74%
  4. Rollover IslandGalveston County, best the second week of May · 44 checklists that week, 3,163 in all73%
  5. Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie's Pasture (Salt Island)Nueces County, best the second week of August · 26 checklists that week, 1,982 in all71%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Texas, the Black Tern is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 0.8% of 74687 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 285131 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 329960 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 267889 checklists10 am: 0.8% of 218205 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 1.0% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 0.7% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January0%0%0%0.1%
February0%0%0%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.3%0.8%1.4%1.9%
May1.9%2.4%2.1%1.1%
June0.6%0.4%0.4%0.7%
July0.7%1.1%1.8%2.4%
August2.5%3.2%3.2%2.9%
September2.2%1.8%1.2%0.6%
October0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: arrives late April, 10 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early May, 9 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Arkansas: arrives early July, 1 week earlier than Texas
  • Mississippi: arrives mid July, 1 week later than Texas

Common questions

When do Black Terns arrive in Texas?
Black Terns arrive in Texas in the second week of July, peak in mid August (3.0% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.
When do Black Terns leave Texas?
Most Black Terns have left Texas by mid September, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Black Tern in Texas?
The Black Tern is reported most often in mid August, on about 3.0% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Black Terns seen most often?
By county, Kleberg County, Kenedy County, and Nueces County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Tern (counties with at least 200 checklists).