Red-tailed tropicbird
Seabird with red tail streamers, found in Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The red-tailed tropicbird (*Phaethon rubricauda*) is a seabird found in the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is one of three closely related tropicbird species. First described scientifically by Pieter Boddaert in 1783, it looks somewhat like a tern, with mostly white feathers, a black patch around the eyes, and a red beak. Males and females look alike. True to its name, the adult bird has red tail streamers roughly twice the length of its body. Although four subspecies are listed, studies show a gradual size difference—birds are smaller in the north and larger in the south—suggesting subspecies may not be valid.
The bird feeds mainly on flying fish and squid, catching them by diving headfirst into the sea. It nests in loose groups on oceanic islands, laying a single egg in a simple scrape on a cliff, in a crevice, or on a sandy beach. Both parents take turns incubating the egg for about six weeks. During incubation, they make long foraging trips lasting around 150 hours. After the chick hatches, the parents split duties: one forages for the chick for a few hours at a time, while the other takes much longer trips to feed itself.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the red-tailed tropicbird as a least-concern species, though human contact harms it. Rats and feral cats prey on eggs and chicks at nesting sites. Historically, the bird’s tail streamers were valued by some Hawaiian and Māori peoples.
- Scientific name
- Phaethon rubricauda
- Family
- Phaethontidae
- Described by
- Pieter Boddaert in 1783
- Average length
- 95 to 104 cm (including 35 cm tail streamers)
- Weight
- around 800 g
- Wingspan
- 111 to 119 cm
- IUCN status
- Least-concern
Lore & Background
The British naturalist Sir Joseph Banks encountered the red-tailed tropicbird on the Pacific Ocean in March 1769 on James Cook's first voyage, noting that it was a different species to the familiar red-billed tropicbird. He gave it the name Phaeton erubescens. It was the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon who formally described the species in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux in 1781, noting it was a native of Isle de France (Mauritius). The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Buffon did not include a scientific name with his description but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Phaethon rubricauda in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées.
Reader's Guide
The red-tailed tropicbird is significant as a widespread seabird of tropical oceans, known for its striking red tail streamers and plunge-diving feeding method. Its taxonomy has been subject to revision, with four subspecies recognised by the International Ornithologists' Union, though ornithologist Mike Tarburton concluded in 1989 that none were valid due to clinal variation in body size. The bird is considered a least-concern species by the IUCN, but it is adversely affected by human contact, with rats and feral cats preying on eggs and young at nesting sites. Its tail streamers were once prized by some Hawaiian and Māori peoples. The species' closest relative is the white-tailed tropicbird, with the split between their ancestors taking place about four million years ago. The red-tailed tropicbird's nesting occurs in loose colonies on oceanic islands, where a single egg is incubated by both sexes for about six weeks. Parents make long food-foraging trips of about 150 hours during incubation, but after hatching, one parent forages for the chick for a few hours at a time while the other makes longer trips to feed itself.
Did You Know?
- The red-tailed tropicbird was described by Pieter Boddaert in 1783.
- Adults have red tail streamers that are about twice their body length.
- The bird's tail streamers were once prized by some Hawaiian and Māori peoples.
- Rats and feral cats prey on eggs and young at nesting sites.
More in Birds of the Indian Ocean 1-24
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