Scientific Name: Chlidonias leucopterus
Malay Name: Camar Tasik Sayap Putih
Chinese Name: 白翅浮鸥
Range: Found throughout Europe to temperate Asia, wintering to Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Australia
Taxonomy: Monotypic.
Size: 20-24 cm
Identification: Non-breeding adult resembles Whiskered Tern but has finer bill, distinctive isolated roundish ear-patch (headphones) and whitish rump/uppertail-coverts. Breeding adult has all black head, body and underwing-coverts. Juvenile resembles non-breeding adult but has buff-brown markings on scapulars and back.
Similar looking species: Little Tern, Whiskered Tern
Habitat: Open seas, coastal habitats, mudflats, marshes and reservoirs.
Behaviour/Ecology: Gathers in small loose flocks, feeding by wheeling and skimming low over water surface.
Local Status: Uncommon migrant
Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)
Location: Lorong Halus, Kranji Reservoir, Upper Seletar Reservoir, Marina Barrage, Straits of Johor and Straits of Singapore.
- Pelagic Bird Trip at the Singapore Strait – 20 September 2020 (Trip Reports)
- Pelagic Bird Survey to the Horsburgh Lighthouse – 29 April 2017 (Trip Reports)
- Identifying Marsh Terns in Singapore (ID Articles)
Featured reports: Apr 2022, May 2022, Sep 2022, Oct 2022, Nov 2022, Dec 2022, Apr 2023, May 2023, Aug 2023, Sep 2023, Nov 2023, Dec 2023, Jan 2024, Feb 2024, Mar 2024, Apr 2024, May 2024, Jul 2024, Sep 2024, Oct 2024
Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (White-winged Tern)
References:
BirdLife International. (2016). Chlidonias leucopterus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22694782A86772583.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023
Jeyarajasingam, A., & Pearson, A. (2012). A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Oxford University Press.
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). White-winged Tern. Retrieved on December 5, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/white-winged-tern.