- Anous stolidus
Identification
38–45 cm (15-17¾ in)
- Dark brown overall plumage
- Grey crown
- Whitish forehead
Distribution
Tropical oceans: Circumglobal.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 5 subspecies[1]:
- A. s. plumbeigularis:
- Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden
- A. s. pileatus:
- Seychelles and Madagascar to Australia, Polynesia and Hawaii
- A. s. galapagensis:
- A. s. ridgwayi:
- Western Mexico (Revillagigedo Islands) to Costa Rica (Cocos Island)
- A. s. stolidus:
A. s. plumbeigularis is usually considered invalid, and sometimes considered a subspecies of A. s. pileatus [2].
Habitat
Tropical and sub-tropical islands. They are a mainly pelagic species; breeding on oceanic islands.
Behaviour
Diet
They are surface feeders; their dies consists almost entirely of small fish and squid.
Breeding
The nest on cliffs or in trees. A single egg is laid. They nest throughout the year in the Galapagos.
Gallery
Click on photo for larger image
Juvenile, subspecies pileatus
Photo © by peterday
Lady Elliot Island, Queensland, Australia, June 2018
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Apr 2018 and October 2018)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Brown Noddy. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown_Noddy
