Blue Noddy

The Blue Noddy (Anous ceruleus) is a diminutive tern of the family Laridae, confined to tropical Pacific atolls including the Hawaiian chain and the Tuamotus. Adults measure roughly 25-28 cm, pale blue-grey above and whitish below, with a pale cap that separates them from darker relatives. Rather than plunge-diving, the species flutters low across lagoon surfaces and picks prey from the water film. Breeding birds lay a single egg. Recorded specimens average about 52 g with a wingspan near 35 cm, placing this among the smallest seabirds of the central Pacific.