White-winged tern
Chlidonias leucopterus
Ben Ackerley · Christchurch City Council
Key facts in one look
- Size
- About 23 cm, wingspan 60–66 cm; 60–75 g
- Diet
- Aquatic and land insects, small fish, tadpoles
- Status in Georgia
- Breeding bird, migrant
- Recorded regions
- Kvemo Kartli; Adjara; Shida Kartli; Abkhazia
- Habitat
- Freshwater lakes, marshes, flooded grassland
- Family
- Laridae
- Conservation
- Global LC (2025); Georgia LC (2024)
The white-winged tern does not dive for fish: it flies slowly and low over the water, picking food from the surface or catching insects in the air. It is about 23 cm long, with a wingspan of 60–66 cm. In summer its head, neck, breast and belly are black, its back very dark grey, and its wings and rump almost white. The legs are red and the bill short and black. In winter most of the plumage turns white or pale grey. It is harmless to people. If in May or August you see a small black tern with white wings over a lake, it is most likely a white-winged tern. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a breeding bird and a migrant. In Georgia it is seen mainly from April to September, most often in May and in August and September. Most records come from Kvemo Kartli, from Kumisi Lake and Gardabani Municipality. Adjara follows, at Batumi and the Chorokhi Delta, then Shida Kartli, at Nadarbazevi Lake, and Abkhazia. Both globally and in Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC).
Identification
White-winged tern: how to identify it
In summer it is easy to recognise: a black body, almost white wings, a white rump and red legs. In winter it is pale grey and white, with a dark patch in front of the eye. The bill is short and black, clearly shorter than the head.
In breeding plumage the head, neck, breast and belly are black and the back very dark grey. The wings are mostly white: the leading edge shows a white band from above and a black one from below. The rump is white and the tail pale grey, almost white. The legs are short and red.
It is about 23 cm long, with a wingspan of 60–66 cm, and weighs 60–75 g. The bill is short and black, 22–25 mm. The wingbeats are shallow and unhurried. The call is a rattling cry or a quiet "ki-ki-ki".
In winter almost all the black is replaced by white or pale grey. The forehead is white, the crown and back of the head blackish with white flecks, and there is a dark triangular patch in front of the eye. Young birds have a white collar and a white rump, so the dark brown back stands out like a saddle.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
Often confused with
It breeds on freshwater lakes, swamps with standing water, rivers and shallow, naturally flooded grassland, where open water is fringed by reeds, sedges and other water plants. When breeding it generally avoids fish ponds and rice fields, but it may feed over wet fields, dry farmland and steppe. On migration and in winter it stops in many kinds of places, from inland lakes to rocky coasts. It occurs from sea level up to 2000 m. In Georgia most records come from Kvemo Kartli: from Kumisi Lake, from July to September, and from Gardabani Municipality. In Adjara it is seen mainly near Batumi and in the Chorokhi Delta, in April and May and in September. In Shida Kartli the records come mainly from Nadarbazevi Lake, from May to September, and also from Gori Municipality. In Abkhazia it has been seen near Gagra, Gulripshi and Sukhumi and at Lake Inkit. There are single records from Madatapa Lake, Ninotsminda Municipality, Bazaleti Lake, Samegrelo and Dedoplistskaro Municipality.
The white-winged tern map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density. Four regions have enough records: Kvemo Kartli, Adjara, Shida Kartli and Abkhazia.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
It eats mainly aquatic insects, especially true flies, dragonflies and beetles, and also land insects and their larvae, such as locusts and crickets. Less often it takes small fish and tadpoles. It searches for food flying 30–50 cm above the water or marsh, snatching insects from stems, the ground or the water surface, or catching them in the air.
It is strongly migratory. Birds from Europe and western Asia fly over the Arabian Peninsula and the Sahara to Africa, as far as southern Africa, while eastern birds winter in southern Asia and Australia. It feeds in flocks all year, and on migration a flock can hold up to 10,000 birds. It circles in the air almost constantly and rarely settles on the water. On land it walks poorly, and only for short distances. It breeds from April to August in small colonies of 3 to 100 pairs, most often 20–40, sometimes together with other species. Neighbouring nests are usually 10–30 m apart, sometimes only 2.5 m. The nest is a shallow cup in a mound of water plants, usually on floating vegetation over water 30–120 cm deep, sometimes on the shore or on the bottom of shallow water. The female lays 2–3 eggs, rarely 4. Incubation lasts 18–20 days. The chicks leave the nest 2–3 days after hatching and start to fly at 20–25 days, and the parents look after them for another 10 days.
Globally the white-winged tern is rated Least Concern (LC, 2025). A 2023 estimate puts the world population at 2.6–4.5 million birds, equal to 1.7–3.0 million mature birds. Its numbers are probably falling, but not fast enough to approach a higher threat category. In Europe it is threatened by the destruction of wetlands and water regulation: land reclamation in the west, and dry summers and new drainage schemes in Russia and Ukraine. In Poland recreation disturbs the birds. It is also susceptible to avian influenza. The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies to it. The 2024 Georgian checklist also rates it Least Concern (LC) in Georgia.
Ben Ackerley · Nikita Tiunov · Dmitry Ivanov · Oscar Hazell · David J Barton
Related guides
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Yes. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a breeding bird and a migrant. It is seen mainly from April to September, most often in May and in August and September. It spends the winter in Africa, southern Asia and Australia.
Most records come from Kumisi Lake and Gardabani Municipality. It is often seen at Nadarbazevi Lake, near Batumi and in the Chorokhi Delta. In Abkhazia it has been seen near Gagra and Sukhumi and at Lake Inkit. Look for it flying low over lakes and marshes.
In summer by its black head, neck and belly, almost white wings, white rump and red legs. In winter it is pale grey and white, with a dark patch in front of the eye. The bill is short and black.
In summer the white-winged tern has white wings, a white rump and red legs, while the black tern has dark grey wings and tail and dark legs. In winter both are pale, but the black tern has dark patches on the sides of the breast and the white-winged tern does not.
Mainly aquatic insects: true flies, dragonflies and beetles, as well as locusts and crickets. Less often it takes small fish and tadpoles. It does not dive for fish, but picks food from the surface or catches it in the air.
From April to August, in small colonies, most often of 20–40 pairs. The nest is a mound of water plants, usually on floating vegetation. The female lays 2–3 eggs, incubation lasts 18–20 days, and the chicks start to fly at 20–25 days.
It is harmless to people. Both globally and in Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC), although its numbers are probably falling. The destruction of wetlands, drainage and disturbance near breeding sites threaten it. If you find an injured bird, call 112 or the environmental protection service.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
