| Black noddy | |
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| At the Tubbataha Reef National Park, Philippines | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Laridae |
| Genus: | Anous |
| Species: | A. minutus |
| Binomial name | |
| Anous minutus Boie, F, 1844 | |
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| Global map ofeBird reports of this species Nonbreeding Breeding | |
| Synonyms | |
Theblack noddy (Anous minutus), also known aswhite-capped noddy, is a species oftern in thefamilyLaridae. It is a medium-sizedseabird with black plumage and a white cap that closely resembles thelesser noddy with which it was at one time consideredconspecific. The black noddy has slightly darker plumage and dark rather than palelores.
The black noddy was firstformally described by German naturalist and lawyerFriedrich Boie in 1844 under its currentbinomial name.[4] Thegenus nameAnous isancient Greek for "stupid" or "foolish". The specific nameminutus is the Latin for "small".[5]
There are sevensubspecies:[6]
The 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). It has dark plumage and a pale crown.[8] There is a small white crescent under each eye and a white spot above. It has long tapering wings and a truncated tail. The sharply pointed bill is black. The feet are fully webbed and are black in most subspecies[9] but orange inmelanogenys.[10]
These birds may have become known as "noddies" because of the behaviour of both sexes as they constantly dip their heads during their breeding display. They are very tolerant of humans even to the extent that they can be picked up off the nest. They feed on fish and squid which they gather by flying low over the surface of the sea and picking them up.[9] They may associate with other seabirds in areas where predatory fish are driving small fish to the surface.[1]
The nests of these birds consist of a level platform, often created in the branches of trees by a series of dried leaves covered with bird droppings. One egg is laid each season, and nests are re-used in subsequent years. The trees used for this purpose are various but thePisonia is most often used, and in large trees, there are often several nests.[11] Theguano produced by these birds adds large quantities of nutrients to the soil which is of great importance to the plant communities on coral islands.[12]
The black noddy has a worldwide distribution in tropical and subtropical seas, withcolonies widespread in the Pacific Ocean and more scattered across the Caribbean, central Atlantic and in the northeast Indian Ocean. At sea it is usually seen close to its breeding colonies within 80 km of shore. Birds return to their colonies, or to other islands, to roost at night.
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