White-winged Tern

Chlidonias leucopterus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
GenusChlidonias (Marsh Terns)
SpeciesChlidonias leucopterus (White-winged Tern)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Cape Range

5 Verified sightings at Cape Range From 2019 to 2026

2,480 Verified sightings across all 65 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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.

Adult birds in summer have short red legs and a short black bill (small and stubby, measuring 22–25 mm from the feathers, decidedly shorter than the head), a black neck (often with a pale gray back) and belly, very dark grey back, with a white rump and light grey (almost white) tail, which often looks 'square' in juveniles. The face is tinged yellowish. The wings, as the name implies, are mainly white. The inner wing is grayish with brown-tipped coverts. In non-breeding plumage, most of the black is replaced by white or pale grey, though a few blackish... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Cape Range

Chlidonias hybrida

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Endemic

Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Thalasseus bergii

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Hydroprogne caspia

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Thalasseus bengalensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

VU Endemic

Sternula nereis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Sternula albifrons

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Onychoprion anaethetus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Sterna dougallii

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Sterna hirundo

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Gelochelidon nilotica

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Onychoprion fuscatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Amboseli National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~20%
2	Biebrza National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	~20%
3	Hortobágy National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~20%
4	Lake Nakuru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~10%
5	Yala National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	~10%
6	Queen Elizabeth National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~10%
7	Białowieża National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	~10%
8	Chobe National Park	🇧🇼 Botswana	~10%
9	Ngorongoro Conservation Area	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
10	Murchison Falls National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~10%
11	Liwonde National Park	🇲🇼 Malawi	~10%
12	Fertő-Hanság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~10%
13	Hwange National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	<5%
14	Ningaloo Marine Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
15	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
16	Lake Manyara National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
17	Tsavo East National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
18	Kiskunság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	<5%
19	Kidepo Valley National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
20	Moremi Game Reserve	🇧🇼 Botswana	<5%
21	Virunga National Park	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	<5%
22	Namib-Naukluft National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	<5%
23	Khao Sok National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	<5%
24	Wilpattu National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	<5%
25	Kafue National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	<5%
26	Raja Ampat	🇮🇩 Indonesia	<5%
27	Tarangire National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
28	Serengeti National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
29	Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park	🇲🇳 Mongolia	<5%
30	Etosha National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	<5%
31	Tsavo West National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
32	Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary	🇲🇾 Malaysia	<5%
33	Kakadu National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
34	Nairobi National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
35	Daintree National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
36	Kruger National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
37	Wadden Sea National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	<5%
38	Way Kambas National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	Insufficient data
39	Pilanesberg National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
40	South Luangwa National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	Insufficient data
41	Awash National Park	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	Insufficient data
42	Cape Range	🇦🇺 Australia	Insufficient data
43	Table Mountain National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
44	Mkomazi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
45	Gonarezhou National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	Insufficient data
46	Ruaha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
47	Mana Pools National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	Insufficient data
48	Tangkoko Nature Reserve	🇮🇩 Indonesia	Insufficient data
49	Minneriya National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	Insufficient data
50	Gorongosa National Park	🇲🇿 Mozambique	Insufficient data
51	Lower Zambezi National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	Insufficient data
52	Litchfield National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	Insufficient data
53	Akagera National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	Insufficient data
54	Fiordland National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	Insufficient data
55	Arusha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
56	Bali Barat National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	Insufficient data
57	Taroko National Park	🇹🇼 Taiwan	Insufficient data
58	Aoraki Mount Cook National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	Insufficient data
59	Garden Route National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
60	Vatnajokull National Park	🇮🇸 Iceland	Insufficient data
61	Kibale National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
62	Doñana National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	Insufficient data
63	Kaeng Krachan National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	Insufficient data
64	Masai Mara National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	Insufficient data
65	Point Pelee National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	Insufficient data

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White-winged Tern

About the White-winged Tern

Closest Relatives at Cape Range

Whiskered Tern

Silver Gull

Crested Tern

Caspian Tern

Lesser Crested Tern

Fairy Tern

Little Tern

Bridled Tern

Roseate Tern

Common Tern

Gull-billed Tern

Sooty Tern

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found