Black noddy

How it lives

Black noddies nest in colonies, often in trees such as Pisonia, on a platform of dried leaves held together with droppings. They lay one egg a season and reuse nests in later years. The birds are very tolerant of people, which makes it more important not to disturb them. Their droppings feed the soil on coral islands.

Where it goes

Noddies feed at sea and come back to the colony to nest. One source says they stay mostly within about 10 km of the coast. I did not find tracking data for the Tuvalu colony.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

Found in tropical and subtropical seas, with colonies widespread in the Pacific and scattered in the Caribbean, central Atlantic and northeast Indian Ocean. Seven subspecies are recognised. SeaLifeBase reports over 200,000 breeding pairs worldwide. In Tuvalu, Fualopa islet in the Funafuti Conservation Area has a breeding colony, known locally as taketake.