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Common Noddy (Anous stolidus) Alternate name(s): "Brown Noddy", "Greater Noddy" Size: 38-45 cm; wing span ca. 85 cm Body mass: 160-225 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.18-0.23

Australia: Family Group 10 Family Group 10 Table Brown Skua South Polar Skua Arctic Jaeger Pomarine Jaeger Long-tailed Jaeger Pacific Gull Kelp Gull Silver Gull Crested Tern Lesser Crested Tern Caspian Tern Australian Tern Gull-billed Tern White-fronted Tern Black-naped Tern Roseate Tern Antarctic Tern Arctic Tern Common Tern Little Tern Fairy Tern Whiskered Tern White-winged Black Tern Grey Ternlet White Tern Sooty Tern Bridled Tern Aleutian Tern Common Noddy Black Noddy Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Common Noddies are medium-sized, tern-like pelagic birds. They are all dark greyish-brown, except for a grey cap and black wing tips. The eyes are surrounded by a narrow light-grey eye ring. Bill, legs and feet are black. In-flight, the upperwings show a mid-grey stripe, the underwings are also partly dark-grey. The tail is forked. Juveniles are all dark-brown, expect for narrow, light-grey eye-rings and some scalloping on the upperwings. Twitcher's tip Compared to Black Noddies, the Common Noddy is larger and lighter (more brownish) in appearance.

Taxonomy, classification See Common Noddy at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Common Noddy is available HERE . Common Noddies populate the tropical seas around the world, especially around islands. Common Noddies, race "pileatus", can reach the Australian continent and offshore islands primarily along its North-East coast in QLD, from about the tip of Cape York peninsula to about Cape Melville, QLD. Farther South along the Australian coastline their distribution is uncertain. They are also seen regularly on islands to the North of WA, but rarely in the Gulf of Carpentaria or Australian coastal waters to the West of the continent. There are some reported sightings in WA, in the area from Perth to Kalbarri NP. Common Noddies can be found on the open seas and, on land, on islands, in particular on beaches and, when nesting, on cliffs and in shrubs and trees.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "pileatus" M. Mearns reports spotting Common Noddies, race "pileatus", on Lady Elliot Island, off the QLD coast near Agnes Water, in January 2006 and again in January 2016. B. Hensen reports spotting Common Noddies, race "pileatus", at North Beach, Lord Howe Island, in November 2014. P. Brown found Common Noddies, race "pileatus", at both Nightcliff and Lee Point, Darwin, NT, in January 2023. M. Eaton spotted Common Noddies, race "pileatus", on Michaelmas Cay, QLD, in October 2024.

Photos

Race "pileatus"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Common Noddy (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Common Noddy (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Common Noddies on the ground (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Near-lateral view of a Common Noddy in coastal shrubs (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2006]

Near-lateral view of a Common Noddy on a sandy beach (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[North Beach, Lord Howe Island, November 2014]

Close-up lateral view of a Common Noddy (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Michaelmas Cay, QLD, October 2024]

Close-up lateral view of a Common Noddy on the ground (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Common Noddies congregating on a stony beach (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Near-frontal view of a Common Noddy in flight (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Lateral view of a Common Noddy in flight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[North Beach, Lord Howe Island, November 2014]

Direct comparison of Common Noddies, upper right, and Black Noddies, lower left (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Jul - Jun

Eggs: 1

Incubation period: 33 - 35 days

Fledging age: 42 - 49 days

Common Noddies can breed any time of the year, with a preference for the dry season in the tropical North (May-October) and for spring in southern locations (August-February).

Nest building: Female & male

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket, bowl or scrape

Material: Seaweeds/leaves, sticks/stones or nothing at all

Height above ground: 0 - 3(?) m

Common Noddies can nest both in low trees/vegetation (in which case they use seaweeds, leaves and other plant material) or on the ground (in which case they use sticks and stones or just a scrape).

Close-up frontal view of a Common Noddy sitting down on its nest to incubate the single egg (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Michaelmas Cay, QLD, October 2024]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Common Noddy sitting down on its nest to incubate the single egg (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Michaelmas Cay, QLD, October 2024]

Close-up near-lateral view of a Common Noddy sitting down on its nest to incubate the single egg (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Michaelmas Cay, QLD, October 2024]

Close-up near-lateral view of a Common Noddy sitting down on its nest to incubate the single egg (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Michaelmas Cay, QLD, October 2024]

Common Noddy on its nest (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Common Noddy on its nest, seen from a different angle (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 52 x 36 mm

Colour: White, with with sparse light-grey and chestnut speckles

Shape: Long tapered oval

Close-up view of a single Common Noddy egg (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Michaelmas Cay, QLD, October 2024]

Close-up view of a single Common Noddy egg in its "nest" (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Michaelmas Cay, QLD, October 2024]

There is one egg in this Common Noddy's nest (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Common Noddy incubating its egg (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2006]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Partially migratory/dispersive

Elementary unit: Mob/flock

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