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Damara Tern Sterna balaenarum
IUCN Red List Criteria
| Near Threatened (criteria nearly met) | C2a(i) |
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Near Threatened |
| 2010 | Near Threatened |
| 2008 | Near Threatened |
| 2006 | Near Threatened |
| 2004 | Near Threatened |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Near Threatened |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Near Threatened |
| 1988 | Threatened |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | continent |
Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 228,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 392,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | 9300 | medium | Estimated | 2002 |
| Population trend | Stable | poor | - | |
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 9 | - | - | - |
| Population justification: The population is estimated at 14,000 individuals, roughly equivalent to 9,300 mature individuals. | ||||
| Trend justification: The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats. | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | Native | No | |||
| Benin | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Cameroon | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Côte d'Ivoire | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Congo | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Equatorial Guinea | Unknown | No | |||
| Gabon | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ghana | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Liberia | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Namibia | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Nigeria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| South Africa | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Togo | Native | No | Yes |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Angola | Iona National Park |  |
| Angola | Mussulo | |
| Angola | Quiçama | |
| Benin | Lake Ahémé and Aho complex | |
| Congo | Lower Kouilou basin | |
| Gabon | Akanda | |
| Gabon | Gamba Protected Areas Complex | |
| Gabon | Ogooué delta and Mandji island | |
| Namibia | 30-Kilometre Beach: Walvis - Swakopmund | |
| Namibia | Cape Cross lagoon | |
| Namibia | Epupa - Ruacana | |
| Namibia | Mile 4 saltworks | |
| Namibia | Namib-Naukluft Park | |
| Namibia | Sandwich Harbour | |
| Namibia | Sperrgebiet | |
| Namibia | Walvis Bay | |
| Nigeria | Akassa forests | |
| South Africa | Alexandria coastal belt | |
| South Africa | Heuningnes river and estuary system | |
| South Africa | Orange river mouth wetlands | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Salt Exploitation Sites | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Salt Exploitation Sites | suitable | breeding |
| Desert | Hot | major | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes | major | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Freshwater Lakes | major | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Freshwater Lakes | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Sand Dunes | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Sand Dunes | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Mud Flats and Salt Flats | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Mud Flats and Salt Flats | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Rocky Shoreline | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Rocky Shoreline | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | major | breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 0 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Decline | Medium Impact: | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Decline | Medium Impact: | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals / Intentional use (species is the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Decline | Medium Impact: | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Work & other activities | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Decline | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Sterna balaenarum. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Near Threatened |
| Family | Laridae (Gulls and terns) |
| Species name author | (Strickland, 1852) |
| Population size | 9300 mature individuals |
| Population trend | Stable |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 228,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
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- Summary information on this species - Climate change species distributions | |
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