Breeding.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Nests colonially on oceanic islets in the western and central Indian Ocean from the Seychelles and near-coastal islands of northern Madagascar east to the Maldives and Chagos Archipelago, and south to R\u00e9union, Mauritius, and Rodrigues.\u00a0 Also in the far eastern Indian Ocean: on the Houtman Albrolhos Islands and Ashmore Reef (Australian territory southwest of Timor).<\/p>

Nonbreeding.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Partly resident around many of its nesting islands, but also disperses to other parts of the Indian Ocean.\u00a0 Ranges north across the Arabian Sea to the Gulf of Oman and around southern India and Sri Lanka, mainly from July to October.<\/p>

Flocks are present along the East African coast from Somalia to Mozambique essentially year-round, but not known to breed there.\u00a0 Occasional as a vagrant south to South Africa, mainly December to March.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t