Blue noddy
| Blue noddy | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Laridae |
| Genus: | Anous |
| Species: | A. cerulea |
| Binomial name | |
| Anous cerulea (Bennett, FD, 1840)
| |
The blue noddy (Anous cerulea) is a seabird in the family Laridae. It is also known as the blue-grey noddy.
It is found in American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga (Niua), Tuvalu and Hawaii. It has occurred as a vagrant in Australia and Japan. Its natural habitat is open, shallow seas in tropical and subtropical regions.
Taxonomy[edit]
The first formal description of the blue noddy was by Frederick Debell Bennett in 1840 under the binomial name Sterna cerulea.[2] The specific name cerulea is Latin for "dark blue".[3]
The blue noddy was formerly placed in the genus Procelsterna. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2016 found that the five noddies formed a single clade with the blue noddy and the grey noddy in Procelsterna nested between the species in the genus Anous. The authors proposed that the noddies should be merged into a single genus Anous and that Procelsterna should be considered as a junior synonym.[4]
There are five subspecies:[5]
- A. c. saxatilis (Fisher, 1903): Marcus Island & north Marshall Islands to northwest Hawaii
- A. c. cerulea (Bennett, 1840): Kiritimati Island & the Marquesas Islands
- A. c. nebouxi (Mathews, 1912): Phoenix Islands, Tuvalu, Fiji & the Samoan Islands
- A. c. teretirostris (Lafresnaye, 1841):Tuamotu Archipelago, Cook, Austral & Society Islands
- A. c. murphyi (Mougin & Naurois, 1981): Gambier Islands (French Polynesia)
The grey noddy (Anous albivitta) replaces it to the south of its range; the two were formerly considered to be a single species but are now often split.
Description[edit]
The blue noddy is 25–28 cm (9.8–11.0 in) in length and has a wingspan of 46–60 cm (18–24 in).[6]
References[edit]
- ^ BirdLife International (2012). "Procelsterna cerulea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ^ Bennett, Frederick Debell (1840). Narrative of a Whaling Voyage Round the Globe, from the year 1833 to 1836. Volume 2. London: Richard Bentley. pp. 248–249.
- ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ Cibois, A.; Thibault, J.-C.; Rocamora, G.; Pasquet, E. (2016). "Molecular phylogeny and systematics of Blue and Grey Noddies (Procelsterna)". Ibis. 158 (2): 433–438. doi:10.1111/ibi.12363.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2017). "Coursers, noddies, gulls, terns, auks & sandgrouse". World Bird List Version 7.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ Gochfeld, M.; Burger, J.; Garcia, E.F.J. "Blue Noddy (Procelsterna cerulea)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 17 April 2017. (Subscription required (help)).
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