Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus)
White-winged Tern

White-winged Tern

Chlidonias leucopterus

The White-winged Tern, known scientifically as Chlidonias leucopterus, is a diminutive member of the tern family Laridae. This species is adorned with a distinctive plumage that varies with the seasons. In the summer, adults boast a striking contrast of black and white, with a black neck and belly, and a white rump and tail. Their wings are predominantly white, living up to their name, with a grayish inner wing and brown-tipped coverts. The legs are short and red, and the bill is equally short and black. Come winter, their attire changes to a more subdued white or pale grey, with a black head marked by a white forehead and flecked crown.

Identification Tips

To identify the White-winged Tern, look for the characteristic white wings and rump, which contrast with the dark mantle. The bird's face has a yellowish tinge, and the tail often appears 'square' in juveniles. The bill is notably shorter than the head, and the legs are short and red. In non-breeding plumage, the black is largely replaced by white or pale grey, with a dark triangular patch before the eye and a broad white collar.

Habitat

The White-winged Tern favors freshwater marshes for breeding, where it nests on floating vegetation or very close to the water's edge.

Distribution

This species has a broad range, spanning from southeast Europe to Central Asia and the Russian Far East. It migrates to Africa, southern Asia, and Australia for the winter months and is an occasional vagrant in North America.

Behaviour

The White-winged Tern does not dive for fish like some of its relatives but instead picks food items off the water's surface and catches insects mid-flight. Its wing-beats are leisurely and shallow when in flight.

Breeding

Breeding occurs in freshwater marshes, with nests constructed from small reed stems and other vegetation. The White-winged Tern lays 2-4 eggs per breeding attempt.

Diet and Feeding

The diet consists mainly of insects and small fish, which the terns catch by flying slowly over the water or by surface-picking.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List classifies the White-winged Tern as Least Concern, indicating that the species does not currently face a significant risk of extinction.

White-winged Tern Sounds



Recorded by: © 
App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

White-winged Terns on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Trevarthen1
Birda fan
I really enjoy using Birda, all sightings are recorded and photos can be added. There are monthly challenges which help to get you out to record your sightings. The Birda community are great and are happy to help with unidentified bird sightings. Suitable for all ages and experience!
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
Birdafan
Ideal Birdwatch Companion
Simply adds to the enjoyment of my birdwatching and helps me record what I’ve seen.
Unbridled Discoveries
Great app for bird lovers
I love this app! It’s a wonderful way to track birding sessions, and also connect you with fellow birders. I also really like the unidentified bird section, it’s a great community tool to help figure out what a never-before-seen bird is!
Ellesse_W
Learning Birding with Birda
I’m relatively new to birding as a hobby, and Birda is a great way to keep track off all the species I see. I’m still working on my ID skills, but the app is great for figuring out potential species, and the online community is so friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend Birda to both early and serious birders! 🐦
Viperray5
Loving it
I really enjoy being able to interact with other birders on this platform! This seems like a great way to meet other birders and find some new spots.
Alice J
Awesome Birding Community
I absolutely love the community aspect of this app. The app is so user friendly and has fun interactive challenges to get you out birding. I’ve tried others but since I’ve started using Birda I’ve not gone back!
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
Marlster24
Recommend for any bird watcher
Very wholesome app: I joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😃
David C
Very knowledgeable group
Nice friendly birding community. Very knowledgeable group with a willingness to help.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.