White-tailed Tropicbird
Phaethon lepturus
Local Name: Longtail
Status:
Abundant visiting breeding bird (estimated 2,000-3,000); native
Local Habitat:
All around the rocky coast including inshore sounds. Nests in cliffs and man-made Longtail ‘igloos’.
Habits:
Noisy aerial courtship in the spring and summer months with male flying with tail drooped just above the female. A single egg is laid in spring, hatches early summer. Most chicks fledge and depart to sea in August. Outside breeding season, Longtails spend their time on the ocean, ranging in the Sargasso Sea, eating squid and pelagic fish.
For information on artificial burrows (igloos) for Longtails click here
For educational materials click here
