Explore, enjoy and protect the planet: "White Tern Chick" The white tern (Gygis alba) starts life with gray patches on its back and head, but when it reaches adulthood its feathers will be pure white. Thanks to that pristine color and a delicate body, this small seabird is also called the fairy tern or angel tern. Found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world, it feeds primarily on fish, which it dives for and catches at the water's surface. Breeding takes place on coral atolls, but the white tern does not built a nest - after mating, females lay a single egg on a tree or shrub branch among island vegetation. Printed on recycled paper