Taxonomy:

            White-winged tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae belonging to genus Chlidonias. IT is also known as white winged black tern.

Distribution:

            White-winged tern is and Eurasian species, casual vagrant to U.S. East Coast, accidental inland, in Texas and on the western Aleutian Islands. Winters south of our area, in Africa in Old World. They migrate to sub-Saharan Africa. Spring migration is mostly through the eastern Mediterranean but in autumn, many take a more westerly route via Italy, France or even Spain.

Physical Characteristics:

            White-winged Tern Breeding Adult looks like a Small tern with black head, body, and upper wing coverts and white rump, vent, under wing coverts, and tail; flight feathers are pale gray. Bill is dark red to black; legs and feet are red. Winter adult has pale gray upperparts, white head with dark-streaked hind crown, gray upper wings, white and gray under wings, white under parts, black bill, and red legs. Juvenile resembles winter adult but has distinct brown and gray barred back. White-winged tern is Monogamous species

Habitat:

            White-winged tern breeds in freshwater marshes and grassy lakes; while they are in migration they frequently visits coastal marshes; winters along coast. They inhabit shallow water of lakes, marshy meadows, and rivers with slow current, well covered by surface vegetation.

Diet:

            They feed on insects, small fish, invertebrates, crabs, and shrimp.

Behavior:

Often forages while flying into the wind, then drifts downwind to repeat the maneuver; also plunge dives, surface snatches, and skims. White-winged Tern Breeding Adult: Emits a hoarse "kersch" or "kreek" contact call, deeper.

Breeding:

            White-winged tern breeds on freshwater marshes. They lay two to four pale brown eggs on a mat of floating marsh vegetation or dead grass. Incubation period ranges from 17 to 22 days and is carried out by both parents.

References:

• *The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: James F. Clements, Jared Diamond, John W. Fitzpatrick.
• *Wetlands International Waterbird Population Estimates - Fourth Edition.
• *Ali, S. & Ripley, D. (1964-74 ) Handbook of the Birds of India & Pakistan (Vols. 1-10). Bombay: OUP
• *Grimmet, R Inskipp, T., & Inskipp, C. (1998) Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. UK: A&C Black.
• *Inskipp, T. et al. (1996) An Annotated Checklist of the Birds of the Oriental Region. Sandy, UK: OBC.
• *Kazmierczak, K. & van Perlo, B. (2000) A Field-Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. UK: Pica Press
• *BirdLife International (2004). *IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006
• *Bridge, E. S.; Jones, A. W. & Baker, A. J. (2005): A phylogenetic framework for the terns (Sternini) inferred from mtDNA sequences: implications for taxonomy and plumage evolution. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
• *Harrison, Peter (1988): Seabirds (2nd edition). Christopher Helm, London
• * Peterson, R.T., Mountfort, G. & Hollom, P.A.D. (1993) Collins Field Guide- Birds of Britain and Europe.