Description:-

Length 22 cm, wngspan: 74 – 78 cm. During breeding, its velvety black head, neck, breast and belly, almost white tail and rump, and pale grey upperwings with a broad, white leading edge, make this bird both striking and distinctive. It also has a red bill and short, red legs. Its non-breeding plumage is rather less conspicuous, being largely grey on the upperparts and tail, with a white rump, white head and neck, and a black-and-white streaked cap. Its legs and feet remain dark red, while its bill becomes a less conspicuous black. Juvenile white-winged terns are similar in appearance to non-breeding adults, but have an entirely black cap.

Threats:-

Not recorded

Remark:-

feeds on both aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, particularly insects, fish and tadpoles. Reported from Kerala coast by Sashikumar et al. (2011).

Habitat:-

Pelagic

Synonyms:-

References:-

BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Chlidonias leucopterus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 13/02/2015.
del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. 1996. Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol. 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-winged_tern
Sashikumar,C., Praveen, J. Palot, M.J., Nameer, P.O. 2011. Birds of Kerala: status and distribution. DC Books, Kottayam.