The lesser noddy (Anous tenuirostris), also known as the sooty noddy, is a seabird in the family Laridae. It is found near the coastlines of Comoros, Kenya, India, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates. The lesser noddy was at one time considered as a subspecies of the black noddy (Anous minutus). The close relationship between the two species was confirmed by a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2016. Taxonomy The first formal description of the lesser noddy was by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1823 under the binomial name Sterna tenuirostris. The genus Anous was introduced by the English naturalist James Francis Stephens in 1826. Anous is Ancient Greek for "stupid" or "foolish". The specific name tenuirostris is from the Latin tenuis for "slender" and -rostris "-billed". There are two subspecies: A. t. tenuirostris (Temminck, 1823) - islands of the west & north Indian Ocean A. t. melanops Gould, 1846 - Houtman Abrolhos Islands (Western Australia) Description The lesser noddy is in length with a wingspan of and a weight of . The plumage is brownish black. The forehead and crown are lighter in colour. This species is smaller and slightly paler than the similar black noddy and has pale rather than dark lores. Ecology Giant tortoises have been observed to hunt the bird on Fregate Island in the Seychelles. References lesser noddy Birds of the Comoros Birds of Mauritius Birds of Seychelles Birds of the Maldives Birds of the Indian Ocean lesser noddy Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Coenraad Jacob Temminck