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red-tailed tropic bird
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red-tailed tropic bird red-tailed tropic bird: Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge pelecaniform body plans
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red-tailed tropic bird

bird
Also known as: Phaethon rubricauda
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red-tailed tropic bird
red-tailed tropic bird Red-tailed tropic bird (Phaethon rubricauda).

The red-tailed tropic bird (Phaethon rubricauda) is one of three species of seabirds in the family Phaethontidae. These birds are known for their long, streaming tail feathers, which can be as long as their bodies, leading sailors to call them "marlin-spikes" or "bosun birds". They have white plumage, often with pink or orange tinges, and distinctive black markings around their eyes and on their wings.1

Red-tailed tropic birds inhabit the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They nest in colonies on islands, typically on cliffs, and hunt for fish and squid by plunging into the water. Both parents share incubation duties for their single, grayish-speckled egg, and the young birds take about 10 weeks to become fully fledged. While traditionally grouped with other seabirds, genetic analysis suggests they may belong to their own order, Phaethontiformes.1

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3 Britannica Sources
  1. tropic bird
  2. red-tailed tropic bird
  3. pelecaniform - Nests, eggs, and young

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