Noddy (tern)

Noddies are members of the tern family Sternidae in the genera Anous, Procelsterna, and Gygis. They are a tropical group, characterised by the notch-wedge shaped (not forked) tail; coastal and pelagic oceanic. Studies of mtDNA sequences (Bridge, 2005) have shown that the noddies are at least 2 groups that split off early from the ancestral terns at different points of time; the relationships of Procelsterna were not researched for lack of samples. It seems to represent either a third lineage linking the noddies and the marsh terns, or is closely related to Gygis.

Genus Anous

• Brown Noddy or Common Noddy, Anous stolidus
• Black Noddy, Anous minutus
• Lesser Noddy, Anous tenuirostris

Genus Procelsterna

• Blue Noddy, Procelsterna cerulea
• Grey Noddy, Procelsterna albivitta

Genus Gygis

• White Tern, Gygis alba
• Little White Tern, Gygis microrhyncha

Noddies are reportedly a dietary staple on the island of Nauru.

References

• Bridge, E. S.; Jones, A. W. & Baker, A. J. (2005): A phylogenetic framework for the terns (Sternini) inferred from mtDNA sequences: implications for taxonomy and plumage evolution. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 35: 459–469. PDF fulltext
• Harrison, C.S. (1990): Seabirds of Hawaii, Natural History and Conservation. Comstock: Cornell ISBN 0-8014-2449-6