Noio – Black Noddy
Anous minutus
| State Recognized | Indigenous |
| NatureServe Heritage Rank | G5 – Secure |
| North American Waterbird Conservation Plan |
Moderate concern |
| Regional Seabird Conservation Plan |
USFWS 2005 |
The Black Noddy, also known as the Noio, is a medium-sized seabird that is abundant and typically found in flocks (Family: Laridae). This species is distributed throughout the tropical regions of both hemispheres. There are seven recognized subspecies of Black Noddy, with two residing in Hawai‘i: A. s. melanogenys (Main Hawaiian Islands) and A. s. marcusi (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands).
Black Noddies have slender wings, a wedge-shaped tail, and a slightly curved black bill. Both adult males and females are a sooty black color, with a distinctive white cap and reddish-brown legs and feet. Their bills droop slightly. These birds are characterized by their swift flight, which features rapid wingbeats and is usually direct and low over the ocean; they almost never soar at high altitudes.
Noio, also known as the Black Noddy, often forages in large hunting parties composed of several species. These groups typically associate with schools of large predatory fish that drive prey species to the surface. In Hawaii, the Noio primarily forages in nearshore waters, feeding mainly by dipping its wings on the surface or by making shallow dives. This bird is opportunistic and primarily consumes juvenile goatfish, lizardfish, herring, flyingfish, and gobies.
Noio nests in large, dense colonies that also include non-breeding juvenile birds. Established pairs return to the same nest site year after year. Breeding habits are highly variable, with egg-laying occurring year-round. Both parents participate in incubating a single egg and in brooding and feeding the chick.
The Noio, or Black Noddy, breeds throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago, including all the islands of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) as well as the coastal cliffs and offshore islets of the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI). Outside of Hawai‘i, Black Noddies can be found breeding on islands across the world’s tropical oceans. Typically, they remain within 80 kilometers (50 miles) of their breeding colonies year-round.
The following management goals are essential to Pacific seabird conservation: maintain, protect, and enhance habitat; eradicate or control non-natives; minimize bycatch and other adverse effects of fishing; improve the effectiveness of oil spill response efforts; identify contaminants and hazardous substances; and minimize the impact of powerlines, towers, wind turbines, and lights (USFWS 2005). The goal of these management actions is not only to protect seabird populations and their breeding colonies, but also to re-establish former breeding colonies, thereby reducing the risk of extinction.
Introduced Predators: Like all seabirds, adults and their nests are vulnerable to predation by rats (Rattus spp.) and feral cats (Felis silvestris). Fortunately, all sites in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) are free from both rats and cats.
Invasive Species: On Lisianski and Laysan Islands, rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) have severely reduced suitable nesting locations by denuding the vegetation. Additionally, Golden Crown-beard (Verbesina encelioides) further degrades these crucial nesting habitats. At Kure, introduced Big-headed Ants (Pheidole megacephala) may contribute to nestling mortality and facilitate the destruction of native vegetation by supporting a non-native scale insect.
noio
noio
n. Hawaiian noddy tern (Anous tenuirostris melanogenys), smaller than noddy tern; subspecies is widespread in the Central Pacific. Also ʻekiʻeki, laehina.
What’s in a Name?
A webinar related to the research of the Papahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group tasked with giving Hawaiian names to numerous other bird, plant, limu, and coral species unique to PMNM
