White-winged Tern

Overview
White-winged Tern: Small tern, black head, body, and underwing coverts; white rump, vent, upperwing coverts, and tail; flight feathers are pale gray. Bill is dark red to black; Red legs and feet. Fluttering, uneven flight with slow, shallow wing beats. Hovers before dipping for prey.

Range and Habitat
White-winged Tern: Eurasian species; casual vagrant on the U.S. east coast, accidental inland, in Texas, and on the western Aleutian Islands. Spends winters in Africa. Preferred habitats include inland wetlands, coastal wetlands, and estuaries.

INTERESTING FACTS
The White-winged Tern was first described in 1815 by Coenraad Jacob Temminck, a Dutch aristocrat and zoologist. In Britain the older name 'White-winged Black Tern' is still frequently used. This Eurasian vagrant attracts numerous birders whenever it appears, usually during fall migration. A group of terns are collectively known as a "ternery" or a "U" of terns.