Anous minutus
Silhouette: Cristian Gutierrez-Ibanez · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The black noddy (Anous minutus), also known as white-capped noddy, is a species of tern in the family Laridae. It is a medium-sized seabird with black plumage and a white cap that closely resembles the lesser noddy with which it was at one time considered conspecific. The black noddy has slightly darker plumage and dark rather than pale lores.
The black noddy was first formally described by German naturalist and lawyer Friedrich Boie in 1844 under its current binomial name. The genus name Anous is ancient Greek for "stupid" or "foolish". The specific name minutus is the Latin for "small".
There are seven subspecies: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isla del Coco National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Noddy sighting in Isla del Coco National Park on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 69 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black Noddy in Isla del Coco National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, the lowest month. May and July–August have too few records to rate.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Noddy sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Black Noddy sightings, Isla del Coco National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Raja Ampat (Indonesia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Noddy is recorded against all the birds logged in Isla del Coco National Park (24 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
