[2] It was once regarded as a pale morph of the blue noddy (Anous cerulea) but is now usually considered to be a separate species.

The first formal description of the grey noddy was by the French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1856 under the binomial name Procelsterna albivitta.

[3] The specific name albivitta is from the Latin abus for "white" and vitta for "band" or "head-band".

The authors proposed that the noddies should be merged into a single genus Anous and that Procelsterna should be considered as a junior synonym.

The plumage is pale grey, almost white on the head and underparts but darker on the back, tail and wings.

The nest site is a sheltered rocky surface or underneath a boulder or clump of vegetation.