WHITE-WIXGED TERN 167 



grey upper tail-coverts and white under wing-coverts and face. In 

 habits it appears to be identical with the black tern. 



1171--.. • J rr Although the strikingly coloured species known as 



White-winged Tern , , f . , , 



/u J u ,-j the white-winged black tern, or, more concisely, the 

 (Hydroehehdon ,. . ,^ , / 



. . white-winged tern, is no more entitled to rank as a 



native indigenous member of the British fauna than 

 is the whiskered tern, its record of twenty-seven authenticated occur- 

 rences durincf the nineteenth centur\- within our area renders it difficult 



ROWLAND WARD STUDIOS 



WHITE-WI.NGED TEK.N (SUMMER) 



to be passed over without being accorded a definite place and notice. 

 This tern in summer ranges over temperate Europe and Asia south of 

 about latitude 55', and in winter wanders to Africa, India and Ceylon 

 (rarely), Burma, and Australia. 



In summer it is rendered easily distinguishable, the general hue 

 of the plumage being black both above and below, against which the 

 white tail and wings stand out in strong contrast. The lesser wing- 

 coverts are white passing into pearl-grey towards the quill-feathers, 

 which are of the same tint, but deepening into lead-colour on the 

 secondaries ; the beak is livid red, and the legs are orange. The differ- 

 ence between the summer and winter plumages is more marked than in 

 most terns, in winter the under-parts, head, and neck turning white and 

 the back pale grey. Young birds in first plumage are like the adults in 



