Black noddy Anous minutus

Identification Tips:

• Sexes similar
• Medium-sized tern with dark, slender, pointed bill
• Long, dark, wedge-shaped tail
• Blackish plumage
• Black legs
• Limited range in United States, sometimes seen in Dry Tortugas off Florida

Adult:

• White cap

Juvenile:

• Juvenile has darker cap

Similar species:

The juvenile Sooty Tern is similarly dark but has a pale belly, a forked tail, and lacks the pale cap. The Brown Noddy is very similar but is larger, has a thicker bill, a more diffuse white cap, and is browner.