A tern that ranges widely over tropical oceans. It breeds on small islands and catches fish near the water surface while flying.
Adults are dark above and bright white below, with a white forehead; the sexes look alike. Young birds are mostly sooty brown with white spots on the back.
Far offshore in warm tropical seas, it dips down in flight to take small fish from the surface. At breeding sites it lays its egg in a shallow scrape on an open sandy island beach.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.