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Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) Alternate name(s): "Red-tailed Bosunbird" Size: 45-50 cm; tail streamers 40 cm; wing span 90-95 cm Body mass: 0.6-1.0 kg Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.57

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Red-tailed Tropicbirds are medium-sized seabirds with long streamers. Their plumage is almost all white, except for the streamers, which are red, black eye stripes and black edges to the primaries and scapulars. The bill is bright-red, the eyes, legs and feet are black. The back of immature Red-tailed Tropicbirds shows some scalloped grey mottling; they have short streamers. Juveniles have a dark bill, a lot of mottling grey on the back and no streamers yet.

Taxonomy, classification See Red-tailed Tropicbird at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Red-tailed Tropicbird is available HERE . Red-tailed Tropicbirds populate the Indian and Pacific Oceans and for much of the year can be found on the open seas. They nest on oceanic islands, including e.g. Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. Red-tailed Tropicbirds can reach Australian coastal waters and offshore islands from the North-east (basically the QLD coast) and the West coast of WA, rarely the North coast of the continent. When breeding, Red-tailed Tropicbirds have a prefence for coral atoll islands, in the Great Barrier Reef and off the coast of WA.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "westralis" C. Pears reports spotting 6 Red-tailed Tropicbirds, race "westralis", at Sugarloaf Rock, near Cape Naturaliste, WA, in January 1989. Another was seen above the golf course in Dunsborough, WA, in December 2013, at a time when the Sugarloaf Rock site had already been abandoned by its previously permanent breeding population. Race "roseotinctus" M. Mearns reports finding Red-tailed Tropicbirds, race "roseotinctus", nesting on Lady Elliot Island, off the QLD coast near Agnes Water, in January 2006 and again in January 2016. M. Mearns also found Red-tailed Tropicbirds, race "roseotinctus", on Norfolk Island in January 2008. B. Hensen reports spotting Red-tailed Tropicbirds, race "roseotinctus", at Malabar Cliff, Lord Howe Island, in November 2014. D. Johnston reports spotting a Red-tailed Tropicbird, race "roseotinctus", near Baradine, NSW, in the 1980ies, after it had been blown off-course by a severe storm.

Photos

Race "roseotinctus"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Lateral view of a Red-tailed Tropicbird stranded on the lawn of a property in inland NSW after a severe storm
(photo courtesy of D. Johnston)
[Near Baradine, NSW, 1980ies]

Lateral view of a Red-tailed Tropicbird taking off from a rock (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Malabar Cliff, Lord Howe Island, November 2014]

Frontal view of a Red-tailed Tropicbird in flight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Malabar Cliff, Lord Howe Island, November 2014]

Near-frontal view of a Red-tailed Tropicbird in flight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Malabar Cliff, Lord Howe Island, November 2014]

View from above onto a Red-tailed Tropicbird in flight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Malabar Cliff, Lord Howe Island, November 2014]

Ventral view of a Red-tailed Tropicbird in flight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Malabar Cliff, Lord Howe Island, November 2014]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Sep - Jan

Eggs: 1

Incubation period: 41 - 50 days

Fledging age: 10 - 15 weeks

The breeding season listed above is typical for the more southerly breeding sites. In the tropics, Red-tailed Tropicbirds can breed basically all year round.

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Scrape

Material: Sand

Height above ground: N/A

Red-tailed Tropicbirds nest in sheltered spots, e.g. under shrubs, or under overhanging rocks or in rock crevices.

Red-tailed Tropicbird on its nest between grass tussocks (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Norfolk Island, January 2008]

Red-tailed Tropicbird on its nest under a shrub (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Norfolk Island, January 2008]

Frontal view of a Red-tailed Tropicbird chick in its nest under a shrub (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2006]

Near-frontal view of a Red-tailed Tropicbird chick (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2006]

Near-dorsal view of a Red-tailed Tropicbird chick (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Dorsal view of a Red-tailed Tropicbird chick (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2006]

Red-tailed Tropicbird chick with its wings spread out (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 64 x 46 mm

Colour: Creamy, with many small brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Nomadic/dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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