Red-billed Tropicbird
Red-billed Tropicbird
Phaethon aethereus
At a Glance
The only tropicbird likely to be seen off the California coast, but rare even there; sometimes seen on boat trips to the southern Channel Islands. Common in parts of the Caribbean, the Red-billed Tropicbird very rarely strays to waters off Florida or elsewhere in the east.
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
Coasts and Shorelines, Open Ocean
Region
California, Southeast
Behavior
Flap/Glide, Rapid Wingbeats
Population
8.200
Range & Identification
Description
40" (1 m), including tail feathers. W. 3'8 (1.1 m). White with long tail streamers (sometimes missing), black barring on back, red bill. Lacks black wing stripe of White-tailed Tropicbird, and has more black on wingtip. Royal Tern is sometimes mistaken for a tropicbird.
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
A loud rattling call given in flight.
Call Pattern
Flat
Call Type
Rattle, Raucous, Scream
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