BirdUp · Species
Red-tailed Tropicbird
Phaethon rubricaudaBoddaert, 1783
Updated
- Order
- PHAETHONTIFORMES
- Family
- Phaethontidae
- Genus
- Phaethon
At a glance
The Red-tailed Tropicbird is a very large bird, about 95–104 cm long, listed as Least Concern and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.
- Size
- 95–104 cm
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
- Origin
- Native
- Best seen
- Year-round
- Commonness
- Very common
01 · Identification
How to tell it apart
What does a Red-tailed Tropicbird look like?
The Red-tailed Tropicbird is a very large bird, about 95–104 cm long and weighing 590–1100 g.
The red-tailed tropicbird is a seabird native to tropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. One of three closely related species of tropicbird (Phaethontidae), it was described by Pieter Boddaert in 1783. Superficially resembling a tern in appearance, it has almost all-white plumage with a black mask and a red bill. The sexes have similar plumage. As referenced in the common name, adults have red tail streamers that are about twice their body length. Four subspecies are recognised, but there is evidence of clinal variation in body size—with smaller birds in the north and larger in the south—and hence no grounds for subspecies.
Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
03 · When
When to look
When can you see a Red-tailed Tropicbird?
The Red-tailed Tropicbird is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
05 · Behaviour
Habits and haunts
What does a Red-tailed Tropicbird eat?
The Red-tailed Tropicbird feeds on fish/invertebrates, usually foraging alone.
06 · Gallery
Plumage up close
4 photos
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