All birds/Laridae/White-winged Tern
AI reconstruction of White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus)AI

AI reconstruction created with Nano Banana 2 · 1K, grounded in the profile’s documented taxonomy, habitat, natural-history sources, and an open-license visual reference when available. It is an interpretive image, not documentary evidence. Image policy

White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus)
Verified source photographKim, Hyun-taeCC-BY · View source
PRB-0156Charadriiformes

White-winged Tern

Fumarel Aliblanco

Chlidonias leucopterus

Accidental / vagrantIUCN LC · Least Concern

The white-winged tern or white-winged black tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) is a species of tern in the family Laridae. It is a small species generally found in or near bodies of fresh water across much of the world, including Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khelidonios, "swallow-like", from khelidon, "swallow". The name 'white-winged tern' is the standard in most English-speaking countries; in the United Kingdom, this name is also the one used by the formal ornithological recording authorities, but the older alternative 'white-winged black tern' is still frequent in popular use.

FamilyLaridaeGulls, Terns, and Skimmers
Puerto Rico occurrenceAccidental / vagrantAvibase inferred core 380
Primary habitatwetlandsWetland
Primary dietInvertebrateAquatic predator
Average mass60.5 gGlobal trait estimate
MovementMigratoryAerial

Sound archive

Hear its voice

Explore real songs and calls. The spectrogram turns each sound into a visual trace of time and frequency.

XC1027933Recording 1 of 3call
Spectrogram of White-winged Tern: call
SpectrogramChlidonias leucopterus

Play: call by Richard E. Webster

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Sound recorded by Richard E. Webster · XC1027933 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Visualization by Stichting Xeno-canto voor Natuurgeluiden.

Every recording retains the creator, catalogue number, and license published by Xeno-canto. Metadata via GBIF

Island profile

Catalog scopeAvibase inferred core 380

About the White-winged Tern

The white-winged tern or white-winged black tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) is a species of tern in the family Laridae. It is a small species generally found in or near bodies of fresh water across much of the world, including Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khelidonios, "swallow-like", from khelidon, "swallow". The name 'white-winged tern' is the standard in most English-speaking countries; in the United Kingdom, this name is also the one used by the formal ornithological recording authorities, but the older alternative 'white-winged black tern' is still frequent in popular use.

Conservation

Least Concern

IUCN LC

Global IUCN
LC
Puerto Rico DNER
No current listing in source crosswalk
Federal ESA
No current listing in source crosswalk
Critical habitat
Not identified in source crosswalk

Natural history

How it lives

Habitat
wetlands
Elevation
0–2000 m
Nest
Half cup / shallow · Ground; Water
Clutch
2–3 eggs
Social behavior
Colonial

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This bird belongs to 6 paths through the atlas.

Evidence trail

Sources, media & further reading