Whiskered Tern

Chlidonias hybrida (Pallas, 1811)

≈30 cmLength67 cmWingspan84 gWeight

In summer it has a black crown, white cheeks, a red bill and red legs, with a short, forked tail.

Busiest months: May · Most records: Australia, India, China

Looks like Common Tern

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

White cheeks and red bill and legs in summer plumage
Black crown and stout bill in summer plumage
Tail short and forked; upperparts and underparts dark gray in breeding plumage
Forehead white and body pale gray in winter plumage

Male, female and young

Juvenile has a ginger-colored back; otherwise resembles an adult in winter.

Voice

A distinctive “krekk”.

Similar species

Common Tern

Both have a black crown and stout bill, but Whiskered Tern has a short, forked tail and dark gray upperparts and underparts in breeding plumage.

Where and when it's recorded

Whiskered Tern has been recorded at 2,191 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 119 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Western Treatment PlantAustralia5,194 records
Changaram Wetlands – EzhupunnaIndia3,941 records
Pak Thale Nature ReserveThailand2,011 records

More places

Broome South Wastewater Treatment PlantAustralia1,862 records
Aogu Wetland IBATaiwan (China)1,608 records
Alice Springs Sewage PondsAustralia1,372 records
Western Treatment Plant – T Section PondsAustralia1,370 records
Stanley Reservoir – Pannavadi, MetturIndia1,363 records
Bang Pu – Recreation CenterThailand1,293 records
Dowse LagoonAustralia1,143 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Australia India China Spain Thailand Sri Lanka Israel Philippines

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida) is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khelidonios, "swallow-like", from khelidon, "swallow".

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Whiskered Tern?

The Whiskered Tern is about ≈30 cm long, with a wingspan of 67 cm and weighs around 84 g.

Where does the Whiskered Tern live?

Its breeding range: Africa, Palearctic, Oriental, Australasia: widespread inland southern, central Eurasia, eastern, southern Africa, and Australia. It is most often recorded in Australia, India and China.

When is the best time to see the Whiskered Tern?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Whiskered Tern endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Whiskered Tern as Least Concern.

What does the Whiskered Tern eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Whiskered Tern in?

It belongs to the family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Length: ≈30 cm
Wingspan: 67 cm
Weight: 84 g
Habitat: Wetland
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: Feeds in the air
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 232 mm
Tail: 86 mm
Bill: 35 mm
Tarsus: 23 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa, Palearctic, Oriental, Australasia: widespread inland southern, central Eurasia, eastern, southern Africa, and Australia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1

Chlidonias hybrida hybrida inland n Africa and sw, c Europe to c Asia (Caspian and Amu Darya regions), Kashmir and (erratic) Gangetic Plain to w, c Mongolia, Lake Baikal to Lake Khanka (ec, se Russia) and e China | non-breeding: to coastal and inland n, w, ne Africa, s, se Asia, Indonesian Arch. and Philippines