White Tern

The White Tern, sometimes called the Fairy Tern, is a strikingly pure white seabird of tropical oceans, known for its buoyant, almost ghostly flight and its extraordinary nesting habit of laying eggs without building any nest.

Appearance

Adults are entirely snow white with a black bill, dark eye surrounded by a black eye-ring, and black legs and feet. The plumage has a translucent quality in bright light, and the bird's buoyant, hovering flight adds to its delicate appearance.

Key field marks

• Entirely white plumage with no dark markings on the body
• Black bill, slightly upturned, and black eye-ring
• Buoyant, fluttering flight, often hovering in place
• Large dark eye standing out against the white face

Similar species

The White Tern is unmistakable within its tropical island range; no other tern is entirely white. At a distance it can suggest a small white gull or tropicbird, but its small size, black bill, and hovering flight style are distinctive.

Habitat and range

White Terns breed on tropical and subtropical islands across the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, favoring islands with trees or shrubs for nesting, though some populations use rock ledges where trees are absent. They forage over surrounding pelagic waters, sometimes ranging considerable distances from the breeding island.

Migration

Most populations are largely resident around their breeding islands year-round, though non-breeding birds may wander over open ocean. The species has expanded its range in some areas, colonizing new islands aided by the availability of ornamental trees.

Behavior

White Terns feed by hovering and dipping to snatch small fish and squid near the surface, frequently foraging far offshore and returning with several fish held crosswise in the bill to feed their chick.

Voice

Calls include soft, harsh chattering notes and a rasping "heh-heh-heh," generally quieter than many other tern species.

Nesting and breeding

Unusually among birds, the White Tern builds no nest at all, laying its single egg balanced precariously on a bare, often horizontal tree branch, a rock ledge, or even a man-made structure. The chick hatches with strong grasping feet, allowing it to cling tightly to its precarious perch until it is able to fly.