Noddies (seabirds – terns
Terns
Noddies are members of the tern family Sternidae in the genera Anous, Procelsterna, and Gygis.
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.
Description
They are a tropical group, characterised by the notch-wedge shaped (not forked) tail; coastal and pelagic oceanic.
Species
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. and 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.
- Harrison, C.S. (1990): Seabirds of Hawaii, Natural History and Conservation. Comstock: Cornell ISBN 0-8014-2449-6
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