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Red-tailed Tropicbird

Phaethon rubricauda

Range & Recent Observations

Red-tailed Tropicbirdis a year-round resident and doesn't follow a migration flyway. See the Range tab for where it lives.

Last Spotted Near You

View on eBirdWikipedia

About the Red-tailed Tropicbird

The red-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) is a seabird native to tropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. One of three closely related species of tropicbird (Phaethontidae), it was described by Pieter Boddaert in 1783. Superficially resembling a tern in appearance, it has almost all-white plumage with a black mask and a red bill. The sexes have similar plumage. As referenced in the common name, adults have red tail streamers that are about twice their body length. Four subspecies are recognised, but there is evidence of clinal variation in body size—with smaller birds in the north and larger in the south—and hence no grounds for subspecies. The red-tailed tropicbird eats fish—mainly flying fish and squid—after catching them by plunge-diving into the ocean.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name
Phaethon rubricauda
Family
Tropicbirds
Order
Phaethontiformes

Similar species

Other members of the tropicbirds family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

  • Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus
  • White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus

Know when the Red-tailed Tropicbird turns up near you

Add it to your watchlist and draw an alert zone around the places you actually bird. Birdr checks eBird reports and tells you when one is seen inside it.

How rare bird alerts work →

Gear for spotting Red-tailed Tropicbird

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