Blue noddy

Blue noddy
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Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Sternidae
Genus:	Procelsterna
Species:	P. cerulea
Binomial name
Procelsterna cerulea (Bennett, 1840)

The blue noddy (Procelsterna cerulea) is a species of tern in the family Sternidae. It is also known as the blue-grey noddy.

It is found in American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga (Niua), Tuvalu and Hawaii. It has occurred as a vagrant in Australia and Japan. Its natural habitat is open, shallow seas in tropical and subtropical regions.

There are five listed subspecies:

P. c. saxatilis (Fisher, 1903): Marcus Island & north Marshall Islands to northwest Hawaii

P. c. cerulea (Bennett, 1840): Kiritimati Island & the Marquesas Islands

P. c. nebouxi (Mathews, 1912): Phoenix Islands, Tuvalu, Fiji & the Samoan Islands

P. c. teretirostris (Lafresnaye, 1841):Tuamotu Archipelago, Cook, Austral & Society Islands

P. c. murphyi (Mougin & Naurois, 1981): Gambier Islands (French Polynesia)

The grey noddy (Procelsterna albivitta) replaces it to the south of its range; the two were formerly considered to be a single species but are now often split.