WhenToBird

Hydroprogne caspia · Laridae

When Do Caspian Terns Arrive in North Carolina?

Adult Caspian Tern
Photo: Daughter Dad, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Caspian Terns are winter birds in North Carolina: the first arrive in late July, they are common by the second week of August, peak in the second week of October (3.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 22-31late July
Common byAug 8-14the second week of August
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals late July; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 3.8% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.2% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.6% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.6% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.5% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.8% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.1% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.5% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.9% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.4% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.1% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.1% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.1% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.0% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.9% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.1% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.3% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.9% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.1% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.2% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.3% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.2% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dare CountyBest the second week of October · 1666 checklists that week, 83,121 in all23%
  2. Onslow CountyBest early September · 106 checklists that week, 8,231 in all21%
  3. Carteret CountyBest the second week of October · 528 checklists that week, 27,746 in all21%
  4. Pender CountyBest early October · 167 checklists that week, 6,911 in all18%
  5. Wilson CountyBest the second week of September · 87 checklists that week, 5,078 in all17%
  6. Brunswick CountyBest early October · 481 checklists that week, 29,668 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. B. Everett Jordan Lake (Bells)Chatham County, best mid April · 25 checklists that week, 400 in all88%
  2. Cape HatterasDare County, best late September · 38 checklists that week, 1,295 in all87%
  3. Mason InletNew Hanover County, best the second week of September · 29 checklists that week, 1,938 in all82%
  4. New River InletOnslow County, best early October · 24 checklists that week, 594 in all82%
  5. Bogue InletCarteret County, best early September · 20 checklists that week, 657 in all80%
  6. Wreck CreekDare County, best the second week of October · 23 checklists that week, 914 in all79%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Caspian Tern is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 1.9% of 50335 checklists7 am: 1.3% of 150152 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 182902 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 158933 checklists10 am: 0.8% of 128398 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 0.8% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 1.2% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 1.1% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.3%
April0.5%1.2%0.9%0.6%
May0.3%0.3%0.6%0.5%
June0.5%0.5%0.5%0.5%
July0.6%0.7%0.8%1.1%
August1.5%1.9%2.4%3.1%
September3.1%3.1%3.0%2.9%
October3.1%3.3%4.9%3.1%
November1.2%0.7%0.3%0.2%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives early July, 3 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives the second week of July, 2 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid July, 1 week earlier than North Carolina
  • Georgia: arrives the second week of August, 2 weeks later than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Caspian Terns arrive in North Carolina?
Caspian Terns are winter birds in North Carolina: the first arrive in late July, they are common by the second week of August, peak in the second week of October (3.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Caspian Terns leave North Carolina?
Most Caspian Terns have left North Carolina by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Caspian Tern in North Carolina?
The Caspian Tern is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 3.8% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Caspian Terns seen most often?
By county, Dare County, Onslow County, and Carteret County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Caspian Tern (counties with at least 200 checklists).