Red-billed Tropicbird
Image: <bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q54800218" class="extiw" title="d:Q54800218"><span title="Scottish wildlife photographer">Charles J. Sharp</span></a></bdi> (CC BY-SA 4.0)
NameRed-billed Tropicbird
Common NameRed-billed Tropicbird
Scientific NamePhaethon aethereus
FamilyPhaethontidae
Wingspan (cm)103
Length (cm)48
Weight (g)430
Plumage DetailsAdults are mostly white with a black stripe through the eye, fine black barring on the back and upperwings, and black primary flight feathers. They possess a bright red bill and two very long, white central tail streamers. Chicks are covered in fluffy white down with developing black-and-white patterned feathers on their wings.
Vocalization / CallVocalizations include harsh, rattling, and screaming calls, often heard around breeding colonies. They produce sounds like 'kree-kree-kree' or 'rattle-rattle-rattle'.
Primary Dietpiscivore
Primary Habitatstropical ocean, remote islands, cliffs
Conservation Statusleast-concern
Geographic RangeWidespread across tropical regions of the Atlantic, eastern Pacific, and Indian Oceans, breeding on oceanic islands within these areas.
Identifying FeaturesBright red bill (adults), Black stripe through the eye, Long white tail streamers (adults), Predominantly white body with fine black barring on back, Pelagic behavior
Description
The Red-billed Tropicbird is a striking pelagic seabird, predominantly white with a distinctive red bill and long tail streamers. It spends most of its life over tropical oceans, returning to remote islands to nest in crevices or on cliffs.
