The brown noddy, common noddy or noddy tern is a seabird in the family Laridae. The largest of the noddies, it can be told from the closely related black noddy by its larger size and plumage, which is dark brown rather than black. The brown noddy is a tropical seabird with a worldwide distribution, ranging from Hawaii to the Tuamotu Archipelago and Australia in the Pacific Ocean, from the Red Sea to the Seychelles and Australia in the Indian Ocean and in the Caribbean to Tristan da Cunha in the Atlantic Ocean. The brown noddy is colonial, usually nesting on elevated situations on cliffs or in short trees or shrubs. It only occasionally nests on the ground. A single egg is laid by the female of a pair each breeding season. In India, the brown noddy is protected in the PM Sayeed Marine Birds Conservation Reserve.
Region
Tropical oceans worldwide
Typical Environment
Found across tropical parts of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, the brown noddy breeds colonially on remote oceanic islands. It favors elevated nest sites on cliffs or in low trees and shrubs, only rarely nesting on the ground. At sea it usually forages over coastal and offshore waters near islands, reefs, and upwelling zones. Roosting occurs on ledges, branches, and occasionally vessels, and birds often remain near breeding islands outside of peak breeding periods.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 100 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The brown noddy is the largest of the noddies and is noted for its distinctive pale cap against a rich chocolate-brown body. Its name comes from the pair’s gentle head-nodding courtship displays. It typically lays a single egg per season, with both parents sharing incubation and chick-rearing. These terns often forage in association with predatory fish that drive prey to the surface.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
buoyant flier with steady, shallow wingbeats and frequent glides
Social Behavior
Highly colonial, nesting in dense groups on islands where pairs often reuse sites. Pairs perform head-nodding displays and are generally monogamous within a season. A single egg is laid and both parents incubate and feed the chick by regurgitation.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
At colonies it gives harsh, grating calls and nasal chatters used in pair bonding and territorial defense. Away from colonies it is mostly quiet, vocalizing briefly during interactions or when alarmed.
Plumage
Uniform dark chocolate-brown body with a contrasting pale grey-white crown and nape; long, narrow wings and a slightly forked tail.
Diet
Feeds mainly on small schooling fish and cephalopods captured at or just below the surface. It often uses surface-dipping and short shallow plunge-dives rather than deep plunges. Brown noddies frequently associate with predatory fish, dolphins, or seabird flocks that drive prey upward. They may also pick floating marine invertebrates and carrion opportunistically.
Preferred Environment
Typically forages near islands, over coral reefs, reef edges, lagoons, and productive current fronts. It stays relatively close to land compared to many oceanic terns and often follows boats where prey is stirred to the surface.
