Chlidonias leucopterus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
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 →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuwait City | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | |
| 2 | Luxor | 🇪🇬 Egypt | |
| 3 | Padang | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Davao City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 5 | Kampala | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 6 | Denpasar | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Bangkok | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 9 | Abu Dhabi | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 10 | Manila | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-winged Tern sighting in Udawalawe National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 151st most-seen of the 166 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-winged Tern in Udawalawe National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to October, the lowest months. That is one of Udawalawe National Park's wettest months, with about 330 mm of rain against 45 mm in June.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-winged Tern sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
23rd of 38
Of the 38 parks where we can rate White-winged Tern sightings, Udawalawe National Park ranks 23rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Amboseli National Park (Kenya, about 20%), Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 20%) and Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-winged Tern is recorded against all the birds logged in Udawalawe National Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
