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Line 1: − + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + − There are three species found in American waters:+ − + − + − *[[Red-tailed Tropicbird]] - almost pure white; a rare vagrant to California.+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
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The '''Tropicbirds''' are seabirds similar to [[gannet]]s and [[cormorant]]s. They are mostly white with some black parts, and have red bills and long, streamer-like tail feathers. They catch [[fish]] by diving into the sea for their prey.
{{Taxonomy
|name=Tropicbird
|image=
|caption=
|domain=Eukaryota
|kingdom=Animalia
|subkingdom=Bilateria
|branch=
|superphylum=Deuterostomia
|phylum=Chordata
|subphylum=Vertebrata
|infraphylum=Gnathostomata
|microphylum=
|superdivision=
|division=
|subdivision=
|superclass=Tetrapoda
|class=Aves
|subclass=Neognathae
|infraclass=Neoaves
|superorder=
|order=Phaethontiformes
|suborder=
|infraorder=
|superfamily=
|families=
|family=Phaethontidae
|subfamily=
|supertribe=
|tribe=
|subtribe=
|genera=
|genus=Phaethon
|subgenus=
|species=
|binomialname=
|syn=
|sub=
|alt=
|regionimg=
|pop=
|conservation=
}}
The '''Tropicbirds''' are seabirds of the family Phaethontidae, and found in the tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.
==Description==
*[[White-tailed Tropicbird]] - [[Dry tortugas]] and occasionally further north.
Tropicbirds are similar to [[tern]]s, but are larger, with a body length of about 20 inches (excluding the tail feathers), a wing span of about 37 inches, and a body weight of between 10.5 and 26.4 ounces. The water-repellent plumage is white, sharply contrasted with black eye-lines; red tails, bills, or black wing markings differentiate the species<ref>https://a-z-animals.com/animals/tropicbird/</ref>.
*[[Red-billed Tropicbird]] - a rare visitor to [[California]]n waters and the [[Gulf of Mexico]] and Atlantic coast.
Characteristic are the two central tail feathers, which are sometimes longer in length than the body, and sometimes referred to as streamers. They wear out very quickly, so they are often replaced. These feathers are white in two species and bright red in the third. They play a role in the courtship, and perhaps also as balance aids in flight.
The legs are short and set at the back of the body. The feet are very small, giving the birds an awkward method of movement on land as they can only push themselves their stomachs, and then only over short distances. The beak is tall, slender and pointed; it is bright red or yellow in color.
===Etymology===
The modern name refers to the only to the tropical habitat of these birds, yet English-speaking sailors in particular have given tropicbirds more imaginative names. The most widely used is the name "bosunbird", referring to the sound made by a boatswain's pipe<ref>https://abcbirds.org/bird/white-tailed-tropicbird/</ref><ref>http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/red-tailed-tropicbird</ref>. The names "marlinspike" and "straw tail" refer to the shape and appearance of the long tail feathers, with the first name based on the tool used by sailors. They were also called "noddys", because they were easy to catch while sleeping. The genus name Phaethon derives from the son of the god Helios in Greek mythology, who was allowed for one day to pull the sun chariot across the sky.
===Species===
*[[Red-billed tropicbird]], ''Phaethon aethereus''
*[[Red-tailed tropicbird]], ''Phaethon rubricauda''
*[[White-tailed tropicbird]], ''Phaethon lepturus''
==Diet==
Tropicbirds hunt fish and cephalopods, and usually from a dive into the water from a height of 75 feet or more, capturing prey at or just below the surface. Particularly common are flying fish<ref>https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/white-tailed-tropicbird</ref> and small squid, which can be taken in flight while barely skimming the surface.
==Breeding==
Tropic birds become sexually mature at the age of 3-4 years. They breed on tropical islands where they form small colonies with little social interaction. The breeding grounds can be found on inaccessible cliffs or on on sandy shores, where nests can be hidden under vegetation. On Christmas Island, tropic birds even breed in trees in the mountainous interior of the island. Regionally, the breeding season is very different, with breeding on some islands taking place throughout the year, and other places limited to the spring and summer months.
Breeding is preceded by a spectacular courtship flight, involving climbing to altitude and diving, with both birds touching wingtips and tail feathers. Afterwards, the couple lands at a suitable nesting site and usually copulates immediately after landing. If the ground permits, a small hollow is dug for the egg. If suitable nesting sites are scarce, fighting for such places can occur, with opponents using their beaks to hack on the heads of each other. If an opponent is successful, the others who had previously nested on the spot must give up their egg or chick. Due to the fighting in some places only 30% of the breeds are successful. Tropicbirds also use this aggressiveness against other species: they sometimes successfully displace petrels and take over their nesting sites.
A single egg is laid. The eggs of tropic birds are extremely variable; there are white, gray, brown or red, some monochrome, others are spotted. The egg is incubated for 40 to 46 days by both partners. The chick is initially fed with pre-digested food that the parent birds regurgitates into the chick's throat. Over time the chick is left alone more often, with the intervals between feedings increasing, and at about 70 to 90 days of age it makes its first flight and does not return to the nesting site.
The maximum age of tropic birds is unknown, but in any case exceeds sixteen years.
==Threats==
Tropicbirds have always been used by the inhabitants of tropical islands. Polynesians have used the feathers as adornments<ref>http://datazone.birdlife.org/sowb/casestudy/feathers-have-always-been-used-by-humans-as-decoration-and-status-symbols</ref>, and subsisted on its eggs and meat. Even today, nests are looted in many places. A much bigger threat to tropicbirds is introduced predators; the islands on which they breed had no known natural predators prior to man's arrival; once introduced, feral cats and rats took their toll<ref>https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1940082918785079</ref>. On Christmas Island the current problem is the introduced crazy ant<ref>http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/nominations/ineligible-species/phaethon-lepturus-fulvus</ref>.The islands on which these birds breed are often so remote that there were no mammals to fear. Later, sailors exposed cats and rats there, devastating the local fauna. On such islands, the breeding succeed only on inaccessible cliffs. A study on the Kure Atoll has revealed that in some years 100% of the eggs and chicks have been predated on by rats<ref>https://www.jstor.org/stable/4084263?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents</ref><ref>https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/om/om016.pdf</ref>.
==References==
<small><references/></small>
[[Category:Birds]]
[[Category:Birds]]