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Story: Gulls, terns and skuas

Black noddy chick

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Black noddy chick

Black noddy chicks have a downy cap the same colour as that of their parents. They begin to fly when they are 50 days old, but unlike fledglings of other species they return to the nest to roost at night.

Using this item

Department of Conservation

Reference: 10037117

by Don Merton

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How to cite this page

Gerard Hutching, Gulls, terns and skuas – Noddies, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/6156/black-noddy-chick (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Gerard Hutching, published 2 March 2009.