BirdUp · Species
Whiskered Tern
Chlidonias hybrida(Pallas, 1811)
Native
- Order
- CHARADRIIFORMES
- Family
- Laridae
- Genus
- Chlidonias
- Commonness
- Very common
- Best seen
- Year-round
01 · Identification
How to tell it apart
The whiskered tern is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khelidonios, "swallow-like", from khelidon, "swallow". The specific hybridus is Latin for hybrid; Peter Simon Pallas thought it might be a hybrid of white-winged black tern and common tern, writing "Sterna fissipes [Chlidonias leucopterus] et Hirundine [Sterna hirundo] natam".
Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
02 · Where
Where to find it
- Breeding range
- AF, PAL, OR, AU : widespread inland south and central Eurasia, east and south Africa, and Australia
- Non-breeding range
- Inland Africa, Asia and Australia
03 · When
When to look
Months this species is recorded across its Australian range.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
05 · Behaviour
Habits and haunts
06 · Gallery
Plumage up close
5 photos
The BirdUp app
Log your next Whiskered Tern in the field
A pocket field journal for 850+ Australian birds. Offline-first, smart ID, and a lifelist that travels with you.