Brown Noddy

The brown noddy, also called the common noddy, is the largest of the noddies. It is told from the black noddy by its larger size and dark brown rather than black plumage. It is 38 to 45 cm long with a wingspan of 75 to 86 cm. It is a tropical seabird found worldwide: in the Indian Ocean from the Red Sea to the Seychelles and Australia, across the Pacific and in the Atlantic and Caribbean (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is colonial, usually nesting on elevated sites such as cliffs or in short trees or shrubs and only occasionally on the ground. The female lays a single egg each breeding season. Four subspecies are recognised, of which pileatus is listed for the Red Sea and Indian Ocean east through the Pacific. The name means foolish. The 2012 National Red List gives no status under this name.