Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda)
About the Red-tailed Tropicbird
The red-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) 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.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 48 recordings for this species: 1 CC BY-NC-SA. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Australia, France, Madagascar, New Zealand in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Other birds you can hear here
- Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicarecording
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspiarecording
- Baillon's CrakeZapornia pusillarecording
- Black SwanCygnus atratusrecording
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopusrecording
- Common BlackbirdTurdus merularecording
These are the birds recorded alongside it, not close relatives — the site holds no other member of its genus or family yet.