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White-winged Black Tern
(Chlidonias leucopterus)
: "White-winged Tern", "White-tailed Tern"
Size: 22-24 cm; wing span ca. 65 cm (average)
Weight: 50-78 g
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
White-winged Black Terns are medium-sized terns. Their
plumage
changes drastically between breeding season and
eclipse.
During the breeding season
they have a black head, mantle, throat, chest and belly.
Only the vent is white. The wings
are dark-grey with white to light-grey shoulders.
The eyes are black, the bill, legs and feet are dark-red.
Outside
the breeding season the front (neck, chest, belly,vent)
and frons become white, with a mottled dark-grey cap.
The wings are light-grey, with conspicuous dark-grey primaries.
The bill, legs and feet turn black when not breeding.
Juvenile
birds have darker-grey wings, but otherwise resemble
non-breeding
adults.
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Twitcher's tip |
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Compared to other, similar terns
White-winged Black Terns in incomplete moult can be told by the
remaining dark, worn feathers frequently seen on their wings
and underparts.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See White-winged
Black Tern at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the White-winged Tern is available
HERE
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White-winged Terns are a migratory species.
Their breeding grounds are marshes extending from South-east
Europe to central Asia. They spend the northern winters in
eastern and southern Africa, southern Asia and Australia,
New Guinea and New Zealand.
In both South Asia and Australia they are found only in
coastal habitats.
During their migration they are also found in Asia Minor,
coastal Arabia, Iran, Iraq and, in the far East of Asia,
predominantly in Vietnam.
White-winged Black Terns are non-breeding migrants to Australia from
the North. They arrive anywhere along the tropical coast of Australia
and disperse around basically the entire Australian seaboard,
including the East coast of Tasmania and many small
offshore islands.
They can be
found farther inland, in parts of the Great Dividing Range and in
particular in the central part of the Murray-Darling Basin near
the NSW/VIC border. There are also White-winged Black Terns in an
area around Perth, WA. Elsewhere on the continent White-winged
Black Terns are found only rarely, and never in the great deserts
of WA/SA/NT or the Nullarbor.
White-winged Black Terns live around
lakes including
ephemeral lakes,
in estuaries and
in coastal waters.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
B. Hensen reports spotting White-winged Black Terns at the Leanyer
Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, in March 2013 and again in July
2013.
In November 2018 White-winged Black Terns were found both at the
Leanyer Sewage Treatment plant and at Lee Point, Darwin, NT.
We found a White-winged Black Tern at Goran Lake,
an ephemeral lake
30 km South of Gunnedah, NSW, in January 2022.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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BREEDING |
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Photos in breeding plumage were
obtained in Europe.
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NON-BREEDING |
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Lateral view of a White-winged Black Tern in non-breeding
plumage, front,
with a Whiskered
Tern, also in non-breeding plumage, behind it
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, July 2013]
Near-frontal view of a White-winged Black Tern in non-breeding
plumage in flight
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, November 2018]
Slightly blurred near-frontal/ventral view of a White-winged Black
Tern in non-breeding
plumage in flight
[Goran Lake, near Gunnedah, NSW, January 2022]
Near-lateral view of a White-winged Black Tern in non-breeding
plumage in flight
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, November 2018]
Near-lateral view of a White-winged Black Tern in non-breeding
plumage in flight;
note the dark feathers at the carpal joint (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, November 2018]
Lateral view of a White-winged Black Tern in non-breeding
plumage in flight;
note the characteristic strong colour contrast between the fresh
grey wing feathers and the old, worn, dark outer primaries and the
trailing secondaries
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, November 2018]
Near-dorsal view of White-winged Black Terns in non-breeding
plumage in flight;
note the characteristic strong colour contrast between the fresh
grey wing feathers and the old, worn, dark outer primaries and the
trailing secondaries
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, November 2018]
White-winged Black Terns in non-breeding plumage in flight, together
with one Whiskered
Tern in breeding
plumage [upper left] (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, March 2013]
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Call(s)/Song |
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For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own; are welcome.
More White-winged Black Tern sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
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These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors.
The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.