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10

White-winged Black Tern

(Chlidonias leucopterus)
Alternate name(s): "White-winged Tern", "White-tailed Tern"
Size: 22-24 cm; wing span ca. 65 cm (average)
Weight: 50-78 g
Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See White-winged Black Tern at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

ADULT

BREEDING

Photos in breeding plumage were obtained in Europe.

NON-BREEDING

Sex unknown

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]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

wwbtern_20220116.m4a (NW NSW) Contact calls? (+ Pied Stilt) © MD

More White-winged Black Tern sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site?
If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.