General

White-winged Tern: Small tern with black head, body, and underwing coverts and white rump, vent, upperwing coverts, and tail; flight feathers are pale gray. Bill is dark red to black; legs and feet are red. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has pale gray upperparts, white head with dark-streaked hind crown, gray upperwings, white and gray underwings, white underparts, dark bill, and red legs. Juvenile resembles winter adult but has distinct brown and gray barred back.

Range and Habitat

White-winged Tern: Eurasian species; casual vagrant on the U.S. east coast, accidental inland, in Texas, and on the western Aleutian Islands. Spends winters in Africa. Preferred habitats include inland wetlands, coastal wetlands, and estuaries.

Breeding and Nesting

White-winged Tern: Three brown to dark brown eggs with black brown blotches are laid on a mat of floating marsh vegetation or dead grass. Incubation ranges from 17 to 22 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

White-winged Tern: Feeds on insects, small fish, invertebrates, crabs, and shrimp. Often forages while flying into the wind, then drifts downwind to repeat the maneuver; also plunge dives, surface snatches, and skims.

Vocalization

White-winged Tern: Emits a hoarse "kersch" or "kreek" contact call, deeper and more grating than Black Tern.

Similar Species

White-winged Tern: Other short-tailed terns lack black bodies and white wings.