With its wholly white plumage, the White Tern is unique among terns. The feathers are so white that the wings may appear translucent in flight. The species is a medium sized tern, which has no plumage variation during breeding. The tail is long with a shallow fork. The bill, eyes and eye rings are black and the legs and feet are greyish. Individuals are faintly smudged with ginger colour around the head and on the back and wings. The principal call of the White Tern is a repeated guttural heech heech. Adult and young White Terns are generally quiet at the nest site
Not Threatened.
With its wholly white plumage, the White Tern is unique among terns. The feathers are so white that the wings may appear translucent in flight. The species is a medium sized tern, which has no plumage variation during breeding. The tail is long with a shallow fork. The bill, eyes and eye rings are black and the legs and feet are greyish. Individuals are faintly smudged with ginger colour around the head and on the back and wings. The principal call of the White Tern is a repeated guttural heech heech. Adult and young White Terns are generally quiet at the nest site
Length 28-33cm Wing 23-26cm Wingspan 66-78cm Tail 10-12cm Bill 37-46mm Tarsus 12-18cm Weight 100-140g
Taxonomy:
- Sterna alba Sparrman, 1786, Ascension Island. Placed in a monotypic genus, owing to unique plumage and bill. Race microrhyncha sometimes separated as distinct species, but apparently interbreeds with G. alba in Kiribati. Internal taxonomy extremely confusing, with correct subspecific allocations and limits frequently unclear and disputed; some authors have preferred to recognize several additional races, including royana of Norfolk I and Kermadec Is, pacifica of Caroline Is, Melanesia and other islands of S Pacific, and rothschildi of Hawaii, all of which herein included in nominate race, but all are so.. View all taxonomy... (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * alba , 1786 - Caroline Is through Melanesia to Norfolk I and Kermadec Is; Hawaii; W Mexico (Clipperton), Costa Rica (Cocos I) and probably Colombia (Malpelo); S Atlantic islands (Fernando de Noronha, Trinidade, Ascension, St Helena). * candida (Gmelin, 1789) - Seychelles and Mascarenes through Indian Ocean to SC Pacific, including Marquesas Is (Hatutu). * microrhyncha Saunders, 1876 - Marquesas Is (Eiao to Fatu Hiva) and apparently also Phoenix and Line Is. * leucopes Holyoak & Thibault, 1976 - Henderson I and Pitcairn I (SE Pacific).
The White Tern is pelagic and, although the non-breeding range is unknown, the species is generally thought to disperse into oceanic areas relatively close to breeding islands.
The White Tern is diurnal, although dusk and Individuals feed both inshore and offshore generally dipping their bill to catch prey at or just below the ocean surface. White Terns have frequently been observed returning to their nesting tree with five or six fish held crosswise in their bill, indicating that they have the necessary skill to catch fish with their bill while already holding other