In breeding plumage, its black body and silvery-white wings stand out. It breeds in eastern Europe and western Asia.
In breeding plumage, most of the body is black, the upper wings are silvery-white, and the legs are red.
White-winged Terns breed across Eurasia and usually winter in Africa and Australasia. In recent years, more birds have been recorded in the Middle East during December–February, and many still showed the black plumage seen during breeding. Researchers combined museum specimens, ringing records from Israel, and bird observations to examine winter distribution and the annual timing of feather change.
Northern breeding birds begin replacing their black feathers at the end of the breeding season, while the Middle Eastern winter birds kept them seven to eight months later. The authors proposed that this timing may indicate local breeding in February–April. Winter plumage records provide a clue to the timing of a possible breeding season in the region.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Some White-winged Terns recorded in the Middle East retained breeding plumage seven to eight months later than northern breeding birds. The authors identify plumage timing as a clue for investigating possible local breeding in February–April.