White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusChlidonias (Marsh Terns)
- SpeciesChlidonias leucopterus (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. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Vatnajokull National Park
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaea
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatus
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinus
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreus
Iceland Gull
Larus glaucoides
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Black-legged Kittiwake
Rissa tridactyla
Common Gull
Larus canus
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Little Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutus
Sabine's Gull
Xema sabini
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of White-winged Tern at Vatnajokull National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
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