Bird GuideTropicbirdsRed-tailed Tropicbird

Red-tailed Tropicbird

Red-tailed Tropicbird
Phaethon rubricauda
At a Glance Range & Identification Conservation Back to Top

At a Glance

This graceful seabird ranges widely in the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans, and may be seen by visitors to Hawaii. In North American waters it has been found far off the coast of California, where it may be a rare but regular visitor more than 100 miles from land. Even more than its relatives, it seems to wander great distances away from its nesting islands.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Gull-like Birds, Tropicbirds
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Open Ocean
Region
California
Behavior
Flap/Glide, Swimming
Population
70.000

Range & Identification

Description

30-37" (76-94 cm), including tail. W. 41 (104 cm). Shaped like other tropicbirds, but adult is almost completely white, with small black markings on face and tertials, red tail streamers. Juvenile has fine black bars on back, but wingtips are white.
Size
About the size of a Heron, About the size of a Mallard or Herring Gull
Color
Black, Orange, Red, White
Wing Shape
Long, Pointed, Tapered
Tail Shape
Long, Pointed, Short, Wedge-shaped

Songs and Calls

Usually silent at sea.
Call Pattern
Flat
Call Type
Rattle, Raucous, Scream

Conservation

Conservation Status