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BIRD FACTS |
Description
Tropicbirds look like large terns with strong down-curved bills. They have short legs set far back - this makes them shuffle on their belly when on land. The Red-tailed Tropicbird is white with a red or orange bill and black feet. It has two long bright red feathers in centre of the tail. Immatures are mottled brown with black bill and no red tail feathers.
Other Names
White-tailed Bosunbird
Size
86cm including 40cm tail
Habitat
oceans, oceanic islands and coasts
Food
dives like a Gannet for fish and squid
Breeding
Nest is a scrape in sheltered cliff cleft or under a bush on shore. Lays one pale egg heavily spotted with brown.
Range
Breeds on Raine Island, Herald Cays and Coringa Islets on the Great Barrier Reef.
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Classification
| Class: | Aves | | Order: | Pelecaniformes | | Family: | Phaethontidae | | Genus: | Phaethon | | Species: | rubricauda | | Common Name: | Red-tailed Tropicbird |
Relatives in same Genus
White-tailed Tropicbird (P. lepturus)
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