White-winged Tern

Chlidonias leucopterus

The White-winged Tern is a graceful bird with a slender body, black cap, and distinctive white underwings. During the breeding season, the plumage is mainly black on the upperparts and white on the underparts. This species is known for its agile flight and elegant aerial displays as it hunts for small fish and insects over freshwater habitats. White-winged Terns are colonial breeders, nesting in marshes, reedbeds, and wetlands. They are highly migratory, traveling long distances between their breeding and wintering grounds. This species is vulnerable to habitat loss and degradation, as well as disturbances at breeding sites.

Habitat: Freshwater marshes and wetlands