| Brown noddy | |
|---|---|
_in_flight_Michaelmas_Cay.jpg) | |
| Anous stolidus pileatus, Queensland Australia | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Laridae |
| Genus: | Anous |
| Species: | A. stolidus |
| Binomial name | |
| Anous stolidus | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Sterna stolidaLinnaeus, 1758 | |
Thebrown noddy orcommon noddy (Anous stolidus) is aseabird in thefamilyLaridae. The largest of thenoddies, it can be told from the closely relatedblack noddy by its larger size andplumage, which is dark brown rather than black. The brown noddy is atropical seabird with a worldwide distribution, ranging fromHawaii to theTuamotu Archipelago andAustralia in thePacific Ocean, from theRed Sea to theSeychelles and Australia in theIndian Ocean and in theCaribbean toTristan da Cunha in theAtlantic Ocean. The brown noddy iscolonial, 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 of a pair each breeding season. In India, the brown noddy is protected in thePM Sayeed Marine Birds Conservation Reserve.[2]
The firstformal description of the brown noddy was by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in 1758 in thetenth edition of hisSystema Naturae under thebinomial nameSterna stolida.[3] ThegenusAnous was introduced by the English naturalistJames Francis Stephens in 1826.[4] The genus nameAnous isAncient Greek for "stupid" or "foolish". The specific namestolidus is Latin and also means "stupid" or "foolish".[5]
Foursubspecies are recognised:[6]
_in_flight.jpg)
The brown noddy is 38–45 cm (15–18 in) in length with a wingspan of 75–86 cm (30–34 in). The plumage is a dark chocolate-brown with a pale-grey or white crown and forehead. It has a narrow incomplete white eye-ring.[7] The tail is long and wedge-shaped, and the feet and legs are dark.[8]
The brown noddy is a colonial bird, usually nesting on cliffs, trees, or bushes. It occasionally lays its eggs on the bare ground. The nest itself is usually aplatform nest, made of sticks and twigs.[9]
In their nuptial displays, the female and male bow and nod to each other. Courtship feeding and flights accompany this, in addition to the transfer of a small, freshly caught fish from the male to the female.[9]
This bird lays aclutch of one pink cream egg with lilac and chestnut maculation. The egg usually measures around 52 by 35 millimetres (2.0 by 1.4 in). This egg is incubated by both sexes for 33 to 36 days, with each parent incubating for one or two days while their mate is feeding at sea. After the chick hatches, it grows quickly; usually reaching the weight of the parents in three weeks.[9] When it fledges, about six to seven weeks after hatching,[8] it can sometimes weigh more than the parents, although this weight is lost quickly once it starts to fly. At this point, the fledgling is starting to rely on its parents less and less as it learns how to provide for itself.[9]
_with_chick_Michaelmas_Cay.jpg)
_-adult_and_chick.jpg)
.jpg)
The brown noddy forages by swooping over the water and dipping down to catch small squid, other molluscs, aquatic insects and fish (such assardines,anchovies, etc.).[8][10] It will also feed on fruit, mostly thescrew pine fruit.[10]
