Brown Noddy,  Anous stolidus

Number of accepted Brown Noddy records for Louisiana = 5


Accepted Records

One (1961-04) on 11 Sep 1961, St. John the Baptist: Norco; W. N. Day (ph only). Occurrence associated with passage of Hurricane Carla.
This represents the first record of this species officially accepted by the LBRC, and establishes the second Louisiana occurrence. A specimen reported in Lowery (1974) from 30 Aug 1940, would represent the first state record; however, the specimen is not at LSUMNS.

Photo by W.N.Day

One female (1961-01) on 16 September 1961, Cameron: 2 mi. W Holly Beach; K. A. Arnold (LSUMZ 25139) and E. Armstrong (*).
This bird was found dead following Hurricane Carla. Second state record.

One (2022-026) on 26 August 2022, Vermilion: Vermilion Bay near Cypremort Point; Vernon Naquin Sr. (ph).

Photo by Vernon Naquin Sr.

One juvenile (2022-039) on 30 August 2022, Iberia: Delcambre, Delcambre Canal near Hwy. 14; Grant Hillman (ph; report submitted by Robert C. Dobbs).

Photo by Grant Hillman

Only four days and about 17 miles apart, 2022-026 and 2022-039 may involve the same individual bird. These are just the third and fourth accepted Louisiana occurrences.

One (2023-051) on 9 September 2023, Gulf of Mexico: about 60 mi S South Pass Mississippi River, N28.258250o W88.553133 o; Paul E. Conover (ph) and David P. Muth (ph).
This sighting provides the fifth accepted state record of this species, and while this may involve an individual displaced northwestward by Hurricane Idalia, the acceptance of two records in 2022 might provide the possibility of other factors at play.

Photo by Paul E. Conover

Unaccepted Records

One (93-46) on 17 Jul 1993, Jefferson: beach at W. end of Grand Isle. Most members agreed that due to the relatively brief sighting, possible confusion with Black Noddy, and the extraordinary nature of this onshore sighting in the absence of any tropical weather, photographic evidence would have been necessary for acceptance.

One immature (2002-073) on 26 September 2002, St. Tammany: NE side Lake Pontchartrain, approx. � mi. SE I-10 bridge. There were several observers actively searching for pelagic birds during/after a tropical storm, but only one submitted a report and there were no photos. Although the description was considered very suggestive of the species, based on the overall evidence a majority of Members was nevertheless reluctant to accept what would have represented only the third state occurrence.

One adult (2007-67) on 14 December 2007, Gulf of Mexico: Walker Ridge, approximately 180 mi. S of Louisiana. Although the observer indicated that he was very familiar with this species, there was not enough detail in the description to eliminate a Black Noddy. There are currently no winter records for the state�s offshore waters and all previous accepted records coincide with tropical cyclones.