Kauaʻi record · kba_bird_white_winged_tern
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus
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About White-winged Tern
White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) appears in the wider Hawaiian bird catalog, but the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist has no Kauaʻi occurrence code for it. An island-specific record is needed before claiming local presence.
Kauaʻi evidence
A Hawaiʻi-level record is available, but the species needs a documented Kauaʻi observation before local ecological conclusions are drawn.
Occurrence evidence
island_checklist_no_kauai_code
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Chlidonias leucopterus
- Common names
- White-winged Tern
- Family
- Laridae
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Record type
- Species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- No Kauaʻi occurrence code in 2017 island checklist; further evidence needed
- Origin
- Vagrant visitor
- Conservation status
- Not assessed
- Evidence date
- 2026-09-13
- Evidence limits
- Kauaʻi occurrence or ecological use remains uncertain
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Cliffs
- Food and resource needs
- For Kauaʻi, White-winged Tern has no standing local food dependency until an occurrence is validated. If recorded, attach the observation to transient access to marine prey such as fish, squid, crustaceans, areas schooling prey, carrion, or kleptoparasitic food pathways depending on the seabird role.
- Reproduction
- Breeding on Kauaʻi is not established; seasonal resting and foraging habitat may be relevant.
- Shelter
- Shelter and structure within cliffs.
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Predation at colonies, light fallout, powerline/collision mortality, fishery interaction, coastal disturbance, marine food-web change, and climate/ocean condition shifts
- Conservation actions
- Predator control, colony fencing where applicable, light reduction, fallout response, burrow/colony monitoring, fishery-risk mitigation, and protected nesting habitat
- Monitoring
- Document date, place, observer, habitat, behavior, and supporting media for any Kauaʻi observation.
- Data gaps
- A documented Kauaʻi observation with date, place, observer, and supporting media is needed
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal description
- White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) appears in the wider Hawaiian bird catalog, but the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist has no Kauaʻi occurrence code for it. An island-specific record is needed before claiming local presence.