LESSER NODDY

LESSER NODDY

Anous tenuirostris

afrikaans: Kleinbruinsterretjie

Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape (Rarity)

30–34 cm; 90–120 g; wingspan 70–75 cm

Description

Vagrant. Smaller than Brown Noddy, with a relatively longer, more slender bill. Whitish forehead merges with brown lores and ash-grey crown extends further back onto nape. Upperwing and underwing are more uniformly dark brown (lacking contrasting coverts). Juv. has pale crown reduced or absent.

Voice

Short, rattling ‘churrr’, but generally silent at sea.

Status and biology

Vagrant from tropical Indian Ocean colonies to seas off east coast, usually in summer following cyclones. Occasionally roosts ashore.