A medium-sized tern common along New Zealand’s coast. It catches small fish around the sea, lagoons, and river mouths, and nests in colonies on open coastal ground.
It is pale grey above and white below, with a white band separating its black cap from its black bill and a long, forked white tail.
It dives from about 5–10 m above the surface to catch small and larval fish. It nests in dense colonies on shingle, sand, bare rock, or similar open ground.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.