Brown Noddy
Brown NoddyBrown NoddyBrown NoddyBrown Noddy

Brown Noddy

Anous stolidus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
60–70% · Likely
overall probability at Galápagos Islands
4,437 Verified records at Galápagos Islands
June Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The brown noddy, common noddy or noddy tern (Anous stolidus) is a seabird in the family Laridae. The largest of the noddies, it can be told from the closely related black noddy by its larger size and plumage, which is dark brown rather than black. The brown noddy is a tropical seabird with a worldwide distribution, ranging from Hawaii to the Tuamotu Archipelago and Australia in the Pacific Ocean, from the Red Sea to the Seychelles and Australia in the Indian Ocean and in the Caribbean to Tristan da Cunha in the Atlantic Ocean. The brown noddy is colonial, usually nesting on elevated situations on cliffs or in short trees or shrubs. It only occasionally nests on the ground. A single egg is laid by the female of a pair each breeding season. Wikipedia →

60–70% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Noddy sighting in Galápagos Islands, based on 4,437 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Galápagos Islands

Lava Gull
Endemic

Lava Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus fuliginosus

40–50% · Likely
Swallow-tailed Gull
LC

Swallow-tailed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Creagrus furcatus

40–50% · Possible
Franklin's Gull
LC

Franklin's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus pipixcan

5–10% · With luck
Laughing Gull
LC

Laughing Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus atricilla

<5% · Rare
Black Skimmer
LC

Black Skimmer

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rynchops niger

Insufficient data
Royal Tern

Royal Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus maximus

<5% · Rare
Dominican Gull
LC

Dominican Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus dominicanus

<5% · Rare
Sooty Tern

Sooty Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Onychoprion fuscatus

<5% · Rare
Grey Gull

Grey Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus modestus

<5% · Rare
Arctic Tern
LC

Arctic Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna paradisaea

<5% · Rare
Common Tern
LC

Common Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna hirundo

<5% · Rare
Elegant Tern
NT

Elegant Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus elegans

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

50–60
Jan
60–70
Feb
60–70
Mar
60–70
Apr
50–60
May
70–80
Jun
60–70
Jul
50–60
Aug
40–50
Sep
60–70
Oct
50–60
Nov
50–60
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Isla del Coco National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
60–70%
2 Galápagos Islands 🇪🇨 Ecuador
60–70%
3 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
5–10%
4 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
5 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
6 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
7 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
8 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
9 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
10 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
11 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
12 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
13 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
14 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
16 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
17 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
18 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
19 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
20 Main Ridge Forest Reserve 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Insufficient data
21 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
22 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
23 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
24 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
25 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Brown Noddy in Galápagos Islands?

About 61% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Noddy sighting in Galápagos Islands, based on 4,437 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Brown Noddy in Galápagos Islands?

June has the highest sighting rate for Brown Noddy in Galápagos Islands in our monthly data.

← Back to Galápagos Islands