Gould described this species as one of the most graceful and striking of the terns, seen by the sea and rivers near sandy and shingly banks. He believed it was the only tern with a black belly, 'a feature that offers so strong a contrast to the delicate hue of the other parts of its plumage, that it must render the bird most conspicuous during flight'. This tern has a seasonal change of plumage, in winter its head is white mixed with black, and its belly is pearly grey instead of black.
The tern is depicted lifesize in summer plumage.
DISTRIBUTION: Southern Asia: Pakistan, India, Nepal, southwestern China, Burma and Indochina