White-tailed Tropicbird

Overview

The white-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus), also known as the yellow-billed tropicbird, is the smallest member of the order Phaethontiformes. It is a slender seabird found in the tropical Atlantic, western Pacific, and Indian Oceans.

Identification

• A slender, mainly white bird measuring 71–80 cm, distinguished by very long central tail feathers that double its total length.
• Features a black band on the inner wing, a black eye-mask, and an orange-yellow to orange-red bill.
• Emits a high screamed call described as 'keee-keee-krrt-krrt-krrt'.
• Juveniles lack the tail streamers and possess a green-yellow bill with a finely barred back.

Habitat

This species breeds on tropical islands, including Caribbean islands, Bermuda, and various locations across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It disperses widely across open ocean waters when not breeding and may wander far from its nesting grounds.

Diet

The bird feeds primarily on fish, squid, and crabs, catching prey by diving from heights of up to 20 metres or catching flying fish in flight. It usually forages in pairs and detects prey by hovering above the surface before swallowing it.

Did you know?

Among the ancient Chamorro people, the bird's scream over a house was believed to indicate that someone would soon die or that an unmarried girl was pregnant, and it was said that the call would kill anyone who did not believe in it.