Brown Noddy on Nihoa Island

Brown noddies are medium sized, dark, brown birds. Adults have ashy-white forehead and crown sharply demarcated from black lores, merging evenly into gray nape. They have a long, narrow, wedged-shaped tail and legs and feet are brown. Their bill is black and stouter than the black noddy and they weigh twice as much as black noddies. Young noddies have a more restricted white cap on forehead than adults. Vocalizes at nest and in flight with low-pitched guttural calls. The brown noddy breeds in tropical waters of Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. The brown noddy breeds in tropical waters of Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans