Lesser Noddy

The lesser noddy, or sooty noddy, is a seabird 30–34cm long with a wingspan of 58–63cm and a weight of 97–120g. Its plumage is brownish black with a paler forehead and crown. It is smaller and slightly paler than the similar black noddy and has pale rather than dark lores. It was once treated as a subspecies of the black noddy, and a 2016 molecular study confirmed that the two are closely related (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is found near the coasts and islands of the western and northern Indian Ocean, from Kenya, Somalia and the United Arab Emirates to Mauritius, the Seychelles, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. The cached species account gives little on its behaviour. SoIB 2023 lists its status in India as uncertain and gives no trend or priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).