Brown Noddy in Galápagos: Facts and Where to See It

Brown noddies are strong, fast fliers that course low over the ocean and swoop to pluck prey from the surface. They also hover and patter their feet on the water, or catch food while sitting on it. They often feed in mixed flocks over schools of predatory fish that drive small fish to the surface.

• Living perches. At sea they rest on flotsam and on the backs of sea turtles.
• Colonies. They breed on small islands in colonies of a few to thousands of pairs, nesting on cliffs, on the ground or in trees and shrubs.
• Faithful pairs. Pairs are monogamous and often use the same nest site year after year; both parents raise the single chick and feed it for up to 100 days after it first flies.

Brown noddies breed on small islands in the tropical and subtropical Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and stay around those islands and nearby coasts much of the year. After nesting, some disperse far out to sea, where almost nothing is known about them. In Galápagos they are seen along the coasts, low over the water.

Guide sighting records list brown noddies at 1 site: Punta Vicente Roca on Isabela, seen from the panga along the cliffs or while snorkelling. The guides rate it Rare, so a noddy is a bonus on a visit planned for other wildlife.

The guide records list brown noddies in every month. In the next twelve months, 255 departures stop at the site where they are recorded.

No. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern, with an estimated 800,000 to 1.4 million mature birds worldwide. In Galápagos, park rules keep visitors at least 2 metres (6 feet) from wildlife, also from birds resting on rocks beside the panga.

1. Overlooking it as a dark gull. Look for the white forehead.
2. Missing the sea surface. Noddies feed low over the water.
3. Counting on a sighting. The one site in the guide records is rated Rare.