Credit: Caleb Slemmons
North American field guide
Red-tailed Tropicbird
Phaethon rubricauda
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Identification
Field notes
94 cm (37") Accidental. Pacific Ocean, off California. Red bill and long red tail streamer. Black line behind eye. Mostly white on uppersurface including primary wing feathers or wing tips.
Details in the field
Photo gallery
Bird Advisor Identification rules 1 variant · 1 rule
These are the observation paths the Bird Advisor can use to identify this species. Each rule is an alternative match.
Red-tailed Tropicbird
1 ruleRule 1 15 criteria · confidence 1
- What colour were the WING TIPS ?
- Black or dark gray · Unknown
- What SIZE was the TAIL ?
- Long · Very Long · Unknown
- What SHAPE was the TAIL ?
- Pointed or wedge-shaped · Forked · Unknown
- What colour was the BACK ?
- White, or pale (grayish-white) · Unknown
- What colour was the BREAST ?
- White, or pale (grayish-white) · Unknown
- What colour was the THROAT ?
- White, or pale (grayish-white) · Unknown
- What colour was the BILL ?
- Orange, buff (orange-yellow), or tan · Red, or pink · Unknown
- What SHAPE was the BILL ?
- Straight and slender · Straight and thick · Hooked · Unknown
- What LENGTH was the BILL ?
- Medium · Long · Unknown
- What colour was the TOP of HEAD ?
- White, or pale (grayish-white) · Unknown
- What was the predominant colour of the HEAD ?
- White, or pale (grayish-white) · Unknown
- How BIG was the bird ?
- Crow-sized · Goose-sized · Larger than a goose
- What TYPE of bird was seen ?
- Gull-like, or a Seabird
- What type of environment was the bird seen in?
- Open ocean; beyond sight of land · Only or mostly in flight over saltwater
- WHERE was the bird seen ?
- Southwestern United States · Northwestern Canada or United States