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red-tailed tropicbird

phaethon rubricauda

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-21.1301, 55.53

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (5)

The Red-tailed Tropicbird nests on oceanic islands in large colonies from the Hawaiian Islands to Easter Island and across to Mauritius and the Reunion Island and in Australia, they nest on Queensland's coral islands (including Lady Elliott Island) and islands off Western Australia. When breeding, they mainly choose coral atolls with low shrubs, nesting underneath them (or occasionally in limestone cavities). They feed offshore away from land, singly rather than in flocks. They are plunge-divers that feed on fish, mostly flying fish, and squid. The Red-tailed Tropicbird is listed as a Vulnerable Species
This bird is very rare, since few days in St. Leu on Reunion we have the privilege of observing a couple fly at the Observatory of Marine Turtles "Kelonia."
Very lucky considering that these birds rarely ever come down from the sky...

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