Lesser noddy
Seabird once considered a subspecies of the black noddy.
The lesser noddy, also called the sooty noddy, is a seabird belonging to the gull family, Laridae. Its range includes coastal areas of Comoros, Kenya, India, the Maldives, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates. Once classified as a subspecies of the black noddy (Anous minutus), a 2016 molecular phylogenetic study confirmed the close evolutionary link between the two.
The species was first formally described in 1823 by Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck, who gave it the scientific name Sterna tenuirostris. The genus name Anous, introduced by English naturalist James Francis Stephens in 1826, comes from the Ancient Greek word for "stupid" or "foolish." The specific name tenuirostris derives from the Latin tenuis ("slender") and -rostris ("-billed"). Two subspecies are recognized: *A. t. tenuirostris*, found on islands in the western and northern Indian Ocean, and *A. t. melanops*, described by John Gould in 1846 and confined to the Houtman Abrolhos Islands off Western Australia.
In size, the lesser noddy measures 30–34 cm (12–13 in) in length, with a wingspan of 58–63 cm (23–25 in) and a weight between 97–120 g (3.4–4.2 oz). Its plumage is brownish black, with a lighter forehead and crown. Compared to the similar black noddy, it is smaller, slightly paler, and has pale rather than dark lores.
On Fregate Island in the Seychelles, giant tortoises have been observed hunting this bird.
- Scientific name
- Anous tenuirostris
- Length
- 30–34 cm (12–13 in)
- Wingspan
- 58–63 cm (23–25 in)
- Weight
- 97–120 g (3.4–4.2 oz)
- Family
- Laridae
- Subspecies
- A. t. tenuirostris and A. t. melanops
Lore & Background
The lesser noddy was first formally described by Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1823 under the binomial name Sterna tenuirostris. The genus Anous was introduced by English naturalist James Francis Stephens in 1826; Anous is Ancient Greek for 'stupid' or 'foolish', while the specific name tenuirostris is from Latin tenuis for 'slender' and -rostris '-billed'. There are two recognized subspecies: A. t. tenuirostris, found on islands of the west and north Indian Ocean, and A. t. melanops, described by John Gould in 1846 from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands of Western Australia.
Reader's Guide
The lesser noddy is a small, brownish-black seabird with a lighter forehead and crown, measuring 30–34 cm in length with a wingspan of 58–63 cm and weighing 97–120 g. It is smaller and slightly paler than the similar black noddy, with pale rather than dark lores. Its distribution includes coastlines of Comoros, Kenya, India, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates. A notable ecological observation is that giant tortoises have been known to hunt the bird on Fregate Island in the Seychelles. The species was historically considered a subspecies of the black noddy, but a 2016 molecular phylogenetic study confirmed their close relationship. Its taxonomy reflects early 19th-century ornithological work by Temminck and Stephens, and the two subspecies highlight its range across the Indian Ocean.
Did You Know?
- The lesser noddy was first described by Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1823 under the name Sterna tenuirostris.
- Its genus name Anous is Ancient Greek for 'stupid' or 'foolish'.
- Giant tortoises have been observed hunting the lesser noddy on Fregate Island in the Seychelles.
- A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2016 confirmed the close relationship between the lesser noddy and the black noddy.
More in Birds of the Indian Ocean 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record