Birds
Whiskered Tern
Chlidonias hybrida · also called whiskered terns
Hovering low over a freshwater marsh with a sharp white cheek stripe cutting across its dark grey underparts, a whiskered tern shares its close relative the black tern’s love of still water without ever turning quite so dark itself.
Overview
The whiskered tern, Chlidonias hybrida, is a freshwater marsh specialist native to wetland habitat spanning Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Its distinctive white cheek stripe set against dark grey underparts, hovering-and-dipping hunting style, and broad Old World distribution make it one of the most widespread marsh terns found anywhere outside the Americas.
A paler cousin of the black tern
Where the black tern commits to an almost entirely black breeding plumage, the whiskered tern keeps a sharp white stripe running across its cheek, a small but reliable difference between two otherwise very similar marsh-dwelling relatives.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread across suitable freshwater wetland habitat spanning much of the Old World.
Whiskered Tern: common questions
How is the whiskered tern different from the black tern?
This species shows a sharp white cheek stripe contrasting with dark grey underparts during the breeding season, unlike the black tern, which develops an almost entirely black body, making the two marsh terns distinguishable even though they share a similar lifestyle.
How does the whiskered tern catch its food?
This species hunts mainly by hovering low over the water and dipping down to snatch insects and small fish, a technique shared with other marsh terns and quite different from the high plunge dives used by many coastal terns.
How widespread is the whiskered tern?
This species breeds on freshwater marshes across a broad range spanning Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, making it one of the more widely distributed marsh terns in the Old World.
Does the whiskered tern look the same all year round?
No, this species loses its dark grey underparts outside the breeding season, becoming considerably paler and more similar in appearance to other pale terns before regaining its distinctive breeding pattern the following season.