ID CHALLENGE 21 September 2020 Advanced by Sue Lee
Who is this balcony visitor? Seen and photographed at Lady Elliot Island, QLD in December.
Size: medium (smaller than Silver Gull)
Solution:
This species is a very handsome adult Black Noddy Anous minutus & well done to all ladies who had a go with this bird.
Australia has 3 Noddy species – Common Noddy, Lesser Noddy & the Black Noddy. The Black Noddy can be found in the tropical & warm sub-tropical waters of the Atlantic & Pacific Ocean, Islands on the Barrier Reef, Lord Howe & Norfolk Islands & Ashmore Reef. They are smaller & slimmer than the Common Noddy which was also breeding in huge numbers on Lady Elliot Island when I was there in December 2018.
The Black Noddy has a straighter & slimmer bill, an eye ring that only goes past half way, compared to the Common Noddy the eye ring goes right around under the eye. Their tail is shorter & their white cap is bolder which contrasts sharply with their black plumage. A common feature with the 2 Noddys is the black lores.
The Black Noddy nested only in bushes all over the Island. This is in contrast to the Common Noddy that will nest in either bushes or directly on the ground. Both species can be seen feeding together in flocks out to sea, hovering above the surface of the water to take small fish.
Here’s a comparison photo of a Common Noddy to show different features of both species.
See more pics here: https://ebird.org/species/blknod
There’s some nice information at this New Zealand site: http://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/black-noddy
Women Birders Australia 