A silver-white cap stands out above the dark body of this small, nearshore seabird.
- Local names
- ’Oio (Society Islands); Kikiriri (Tuamotu Islands)
- Habitat
- Motu and shore
- Other names
- Noddi noir
About this species
The black noddy is dark brown to black with a white or silvery crown and a wingspan of about 70 cm. It is one of the smaller seabirds in the atoll’s guide.
It often feeds in groups within about 20 km of shore, taking small fish, including flying fish, zooplankton and cephalopods near the surface.
Black noddies can nest in trees and shrubs, occasionally on the ground. The Tetiaroa records in the guide place their nests in Pisonia grandis and Guettarda speciosa trees on Reiono and Tahuna Rahi. They are described as more sensitive to predators and human disturbance than brown noddies.
Breeding is recorded from November to March. The cream-coloured egg has brown spots and measures about 4.6 × 3.3 cm; both parents incubate for roughly 35 days. The guide estimated 20–30 breeding pairs on the atoll in 2014.
The guide records ‘Ōio in the Society Islands and Kikiriri in the Tuamotu. In the cited Polynesian traditions, noddies embodied the gods of the air.
