WhenToBird

Thalasseus maximus · Laridae

When Do Royal Terns Arrive in Texas?

Adult Royal Tern
Photo: Ricard Busquets Reverte, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Royal Terns are in Texas all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late March, peak in mid April (6.6% of checklists), and fall back by early May. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 2.0% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 22-31late March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Fall back byMay 1-7early May
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: mid April. Here all year; numbers build from late March and fall back by early May. Peak: on about 6.6% of Texas checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 2.6% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.5% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.2% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.4% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.1% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.0% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.9% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.2% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.2% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.1% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.4% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.4% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.0% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.3% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.2% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.3% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.2% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.6% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.4% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.5% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.5% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.5% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.9% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.5% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.1% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.8% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.1% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.8% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.0% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.4% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.4% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.3% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.9% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.0% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.8% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.3% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.3% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.0% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.9% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.4% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.5% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.1% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.3% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.8% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.9% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.0% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.5% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Galveston CountyBest the second week of July · 925 checklists that week, 129,637 in all39%
  2. Calhoun CountyBest mid July · 50 checklists that week, 7,186 in all35%
  3. Kleberg CountyBest late July · 138 checklists that week, 9,722 in all33%
  4. Matagorda CountyBest the second week of July · 55 checklists that week, 8,247 in all29%
  5. Aransas CountyBest mid June · 130 checklists that week, 30,389 in all28%
  6. Kenedy CountyBest early August · 10 checklists that week, 2,652 in all28%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Big Reef Nature ParkGalveston County, best late June · 24 checklists that week, 1,664 in all98%
  2. Bolivar Flats Shorebird SanctuaryGalveston County, best late August · 42 checklists that week, 4,029 in all96%
  3. I.B. Magee Jr Beach Park and Horace Caldwell PierNueces County, best early November · 40 checklists that week, 2,611 in all96%
  4. Rollover IslandGalveston County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 3,163 in all94%
  5. Dellanera RV ParkGalveston County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 393 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Royal Tern is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (4.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 3.9% of 74687 checklists7 am: 2.9% of 285131 checklists8 am: 3.0% of 329960 checklists9 am: 3.4% of 267889 checklists10 am: 3.7% of 218205 checklists11 am: 4.0% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 4.3% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 4.5% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 4.4% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 4.1% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 3.5% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 3.1% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 3.0% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 2.2% 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
January2.6%2.5%2.2%2.4%
February2.1%2.0%1.9%3.2%
March3.2%3.1%3.4%4.4%
April5.0%6.3%7.2%6.3%
May4.2%2.6%2.4%2.5%
June2.5%2.5%2.9%3.5%
July3.1%3.8%4.1%3.8%
August4.0%3.4%3.4%3.3%
September2.9%3.0%3.8%3.3%
October3.3%3.0%2.9%3.4%
November3.5%4.1%3.3%2.8%
December2.9%3.0%2.6%2.5%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: arrives early April, 1 week later than Texas
  • Mississippi: year-round, peaks early September
  • Alabama: arrives mid August, 19 weeks later than Texas
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks the second week of July

Common questions

When do Royal Terns arrive in Texas?
Royal Terns are in Texas all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late March, peak in mid April (6.6% of checklists), and fall back by early May. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 2.0% of checklists.
When do Royal Terns leave Texas?
Royal Terns never fully leave Texas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early May, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.0% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Royal Tern in Texas?
The Royal Tern is reported most often in mid April, on about 6.6% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Royal Terns seen most often?
By county, Galveston County, Calhoun County, and Kleberg County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Royal Tern (counties with at least 200 checklists).