Lesser Noddy
Anous tenuirostris
A small dark tern which appears grayish-black and extremely slender. Very similar to Black and Brown Noddies, but the Lesser Noddy has a very thin bill, is somewhat paler gray overall, and has gray between the bill and the eyes. The flight is fast and graceful, and it often mixes with other terns. Often found offshore, not far from islands in the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean.
Identification
The 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). The plumage is brownish black. The forehead and crown are lighter in colour. This species is smaller and slightly paler than the similar black noddy and has pale rather than dark lores.
Taxonomy
The first formal description of the lesser noddy was by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1823 under the binomial name Sterna tenuirostris. The genus Anous was introduced by the English naturalist James Francis Stephens in 1826. Anous is Ancient Greek for "stupid" or "foolish". The specific name tenuirostris is from the Latin tenuis for "slender" and -rostris "-billed".<p>There are two subspecies:
- Scientific name
- Anous tenuirostris
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1823)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Laridae
- Genus
- Anous
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- IO : tropical and subtropical Indian Ocean is. from Seychelles and Mascarenes to Chagos and Maldives (wc Indian Ocean) and Houtman Abrolhos Is. (w of WA, w Australia) and Ashmore Reef (nw of Australia; race?)
- Non-breeding range
- to e Africa, Comoros and n Madagascar
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Giant tortoises have been observed to hunt the bird on Fregate Island in the Seychelles.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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