White-winged Black Tern vs Forster's Tern

In short

The most reliable field mark to separate White-winged Black Tern from Forster's Tern is the upperwing pattern and overall coloration in non-breeding and immature birds: White-winged Black Tern (especially juveniles and non-breeding adults) shows a dark mantle isolated by a clear white rump and collar, with contrasting white wings and a square-tipped tail, while Forster's Tern has a more uniform pale gray upperwing, lacks the isolated dark mantle, and shows a deeply forked tail. Forster's Tern is also larger and longer-winged, with a slender, pointed bill and a more classic 'tern' jizz, while White-winged Black Tern is smaller, with a short, stubby bill and a more swallow-like, buoyant flight. In breeding plumage, White-winged Black Tern is strikingly dark below and on the head, whereas Forster's Tern is white below with a full black cap. Bill and leg color also differ in breeding season: Forster's has orange legs and a black-tipped orange bill, while White-winged Black Tern has red legs and a black bill. These differences are most apparent when birds are seen well in flight or at rest.

Identification tips

1. Juvenile/first-winter upperwing pattern: White-winged Black Tern juveniles and non-breeding adults show a sharply defined dark mantle ('saddle') isolated by a clear white rump and broad white collar, with mostly white wings and a square-tipped tail. Forster's Tern never shows this pattern; its upperwing is more uniformly pale gray with gingery-brown scaling in juveniles, and the tail is always deeply forked.
2. Tail shape: Forster's Tern has a long, deeply forked tail with a gray center in all plumages. White-winged Black Tern's tail is shorter, paler, and appears square-tipped in juveniles.
3. Bill shape and color: White-winged Black Tern has a short, stubby black bill (shorter than the head), while Forster's Tern has a longer, slender bill. In breeding plumage, Forster's Tern's bill is orange with a black tip; White-winged Black Tern's is black.
4. Leg color: In breeding season, Forster's Tern has bright orange legs, while White-winged Black Tern has red legs. In non-breeding plumage, Forster's Tern's legs are duller, brownish-red.
5. Head pattern (non-breeding): Forster's Tern shows a white crown with a distinctive black comma-shaped patch through the eye and ear-coverts. White-winged Black Tern has a blackish crown flecked with white, a dark patch in front of the eye, and a broad white collar.
6. Head pattern (breeding): Forster's Tern has a full black cap extending down the neck, while White-winged Black Tern has a black head, neck, and belly, with a pale gray back and white face tinge.
7. Underparts (breeding): White-winged Black Tern is dark below (black neck and belly), while Forster's Tern is bright white below.
8. Upperwing color: White-winged Black Tern has mainly white wings with grayish inner portions and brown-tipped coverts; Forster's Tern's wings are pale gray with darker primaries, but never show the strong white/dark contrast of White-winged Black Tern.
9. Flight style: White-winged Black Tern is more buoyant and swallow-like, with shallow, leisurely wingbeats. Forster's Tern is more angular and tern-like, with longer, more pointed wings.
10. Size and structure: Forster's Tern is larger, longer-winged, and longer-tailed. White-winged Black Tern is smaller and more compact.
11. Habitat and range: In North America, Forster's Tern is expected; in Eurasia, White-winged Black Tern is the default. Forster's Tern prefers saline/coastal habitats in winter, White-winged Black Tern is almost always in freshwater marshes.
12. Feeding behavior: Forster's Tern plunge-dives for fish, often from a hover. White-winged Black Tern rarely dives, instead picking insects from the surface or in flight.
13. Hybrid confusion: Rare hybrids between White-winged Black Tern and Black Tern can show mixed characters, but Forster's Tern does not show the dark breast-side patches of Black Tern or the isolated mantle of White-winged Black Tern.
14. Voice: Not reliably diagnostic with the provided information.
15. Pitfalls: Immature Forster's Tern may look gingery and scaly above, but never shows the sharp white rump/collar contrast and dark saddle of White-winged Black Tern. Always check tail shape and upperwing pattern in flight for the most reliable separation.

Size

Forster's Tern is distinctly larger, measuring 33–36 cm in length with a 78–80 cm wingspan and weighing 130–190 g [wikipedia]. White-winged Black Tern is a small tern, noticeably more compact and lighter, with a shorter, stubbier bill [wikipedia]. Forster's Tern appears longer-winged and longer-tailed, especially in flight, while White-winged Black Tern is more compact and swallow-like.

Plumage

• Juvenile/First-winter/Non-breeding birds:
• White-winged Black Tern juveniles and non-breeding adults show a distinctive pattern: a dark brown mantle ('saddle') sharply isolated by a clear white rump and broad white collar. The upperwing is mostly white with grayish inner wing and brown-tipped coverts, and the tail is pale gray to almost white and appears square-tipped in juveniles. The underwing coverts retain some black. The head pattern includes a blackish crown flecked with white and a dark patch in front of the eye, with a broad white collar [wikipedia].
• Forster's Tern juveniles and non-breeding adults have a more uniform pale gray upperwing, lacking the isolated dark mantle and white rump/collar contrast. The back and wing coverts show a scaly gingery-brown pattern, but the overall effect is much less contrasting than in White-winged Black Tern. The tail is deeply forked, with a gray center, and the underparts are white. The head shows a white crown with a black comma-shaped patch through the eye and ear-coverts [wikipedia].
• Breeding adults:
• White-winged Black Tern is strikingly dark: black neck and belly, dark gray back, white rump and tail, black head with a white face tinge, and short red legs with a short, black bill. Wings are mainly white but with grayish inner portions and brown-tipped coverts.
• Forster's Tern has a full black cap extending down the neck, bright white underparts, pale gray upperparts, and a black-tipped orange bill with bright orange legs. The tail is long and deeply forked, with a gray center.
• Key contrasts: Only White-winged Black Tern shows the isolated dark mantle with white collar and rump in young and non-breeding birds; Forster's Tern never shows this pattern. Forster's Tern always has a deeply forked tail, while White-winged Black Tern's tail is square-tipped in juveniles and less deeply forked overall.

Behaviour

White-winged Black Tern feeds by slow, shallow flight over water, picking insects from the surface or catching them in the air, and rarely dives [wikipedia]. Its flight is buoyant and swallow-like, with shallow, leisurely wingbeats. Forster's Tern is a more typical 'white' tern, feeding by plunge-diving for fish, often from a hover, and is more aggressive in defense of its nest. Forster's Tern usually feeds in saline or brackish environments in winter, while White-winged Black Tern is more associated with freshwater marshes. In flight, Forster's Tern appears more angular and tern-like, while White-winged Black Tern is more compact and swallow-like.

Habitat

White-winged Black Tern is almost always found in or near freshwater marshes, lakes, and wetlands across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia [wikipedia]. Forster's Tern breeds in inland marshes in North America but winters primarily in coastal, saline, or brackish habitats. In Europe, Forster's Tern is a rare vagrant, so location can be a strong clue. If seen in a North American saltmarsh or on the coast, Forster's Tern is much more likely; if in Eurasian freshwater marshes, White-winged Black Tern is the default.

Voice

No diagnostic vocal differences are described in the provided notes. Forster's Tern is noted to have calls similar to Common Tern, with some harsher, gull-like notes, but this is not described for White-winged Black Tern.