Anous ceruleus
The diminutive Blue Noddy (*Anous ceruleus*), often called the Grey Noddy or Little White Tern, is an ethereal member of the tern and gull family (Laridae), renowned for its striking pale blue-grey plumage. Measuring approximately 25-30 cm in length with a wingspan of 45-55 cm and weighing 45-75g, it is the smallest of the noddies. Distinctive field marks include its overall light coloration, a contrasting black patch around the eye extending to the slender black bill, and a clean white foreh...
Found primarily on remote tropical oceanic islands, atolls, and rocky islets, it spends most of its life in pelagic waters.
Feeds primarily on small fish (e.g., larval fish, anchovies), small squid, and marine invertebrates, captured by surface-dipping while in flight.
The Blue Noddy is a highly pelagic and diurnal seabird, spending the majority of its life soaring over open tropical oceans, returning to land almost exclusively for breeding and communal roosting on rocky ledges, cliff faces, or low island vegetation. Its foraging strategy involves agile surface...
The Blue Noddy exhibits a vast, disjunct distribution across the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans, primarily inhabiting remote oceanic islands and atolls. Its breeding range encompasses numerous island groups, including the Hawaiian Islands, French Polynesia, Kiribati, and Fiji in the Central a...
Least Concern
- The Blue Noddy is the smallest of the noddies, weighing less than a deck of cards. - It is sometimes colloquially known as the 'Little White Tern' due to its pale plumage, though it's a noddy. - Its scientific name, *Anous ceruleus*, roughly translates to 'bluish senseless' or 'stupid,' likely ...