Lindsay,
Using Margaret Christian’s excellent book “Norfolk Island ... the birds” I suggest that your bird is a Common Noddy. It is a species that nests on the ground
unlike the more common (on Norfolk Island) Black Noddy aka White-capped Noddy which is a tree nesting species. The photos don’t really look like any of the petrel species on Norfolk Island.
Cheers,
Mark
From: Lindsay Hansch [
Sent: Friday, 30 December 2016 9:43 AM
To: COG-L
Subject: [canberrabirds] Mystery Bird
Can anyone help me identify the bird in the photos enclosed. The photos were taken in late November on Norfolk Island, near the Captian Cook Lookout (north side of island).
I saw the bird fly in to its nest under a rock ledge and there appeared to be one chick present. My first impression was that it was a Petrel. If that is correct, possibilities are Kermadec or Providence. There were Black-winged in the area but they breed
in burrows. The photos are not very clear as the subject was below and some distance away. Therefore I did not see the underside colour/markings. The first photo shows a dark backed bird but the second suggests a grey head and nape. Appreciate any ideas.
