Brown Noddy

About the Brown Noddy

The brown noddy, common noddy or noddy tern is a seabird in the family Laridae. The largest of the noddies, it can be told from the closely related black noddy by its larger size and plumage, which is dark brown rather than black. The brown noddy is a tropical seabird with a worldwide distribution, ranging from Hawaii to the Tuamotu Archipelago and Australia in the Pacific Ocean, from the Red Sea to the Seychelles and Australia in the Indian Ocean and in the Caribbean to Tristan da Cunha in the Atlantic Ocean. The brown noddy is colonial, usually nesting on elevated situations on cliffs or in short trees or shrubs. It only occasionally nests on the ground. A single egg is laid by the female…

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where the Brown Noddy lives

Recorded as a rare visitor in France, Guatemala, Haiti, Montserrat, Tuvalu, Cameroon, Somalia, Guyana, Nauru.

When to see the Brown Noddy

Peak activity in April · a resident species across most of its range

Easily confused with

Black NoddyAnous minutusThe black noddy has a length of 35–37 cm (14–15 in), a wingspan of 66–72 cm (26–28 in) and a weight of 98–144 g (3.5–5.1 oz). Lesser NoddyAnous tenuirostrisThe lesser noddy is 30–34 cm (12–13 in) in length with a wingspan of 58–63 cm (23–25 in) and a weight of 97–120 g (3.4–4.2 oz). Grey NoddyAnous albivittaThe grey noddy is 28–31 cm (11–12 in) long with a wingspan of 46–60 cm (18–24 in) and a weight of about 75 grams (2.6 oz).