Anous

Taxobox
name = " Anous "

---

image_width = 250px
image_caption = Brown Noddy
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Charadriiformes
familia = Sternidae
genus = " Anous "
genus_authority = Stephens, 1826
subdivision_ranks = species
subdivision = "A. stolidus"
"A. minutus"
"A. tenuirostris"

"Anous" is a genus of birds in the tern family. It consists of three species,
* Brown Noddy or Common Noddy, "Anous stolidus"
* Black Noddy, "Anous minutus"
* Lesser Noddy, "Anous tenuirostris"

Lesser Noddy is sometimes consider to be a subspecies of Black Noddy

These are dark-plumaged terns of tropical oceans, which nest colonially. They feed on small fish caught by plunge diving.

"Anous" is Greek for "stupid" (Harrison, 1990; "see also" nous). These birds are often unwary and were well known to sailors for their apparent indifference to hunters or predators.

References

* Peter Harrison, " Seabirds, an Identification Guide" (1983) ISBN 0-7470-1410-8
*Olsen and Larsson, "Terns of Europe and North America" ISBN 0-7136-4056-1