Anous

The noddies, forming the genus Anous, are a genus of seabirds in family Laridae which also contains the gulls, terns and skimmers. The genus contains five species.

The noddies inhabit tropical oceans and have 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. They nest in colonies on cliffs or in short trees or shrubs, seldom on the ground. The female lays one egg in each breeding season. These birds feed on small fish which they catch by dipping their bills beneath the surface while flying; they do not plunge dive.