Tropicbird is any of three species of sea birds found in tropical regions. Tropicbirds are also called boatswains. They eat fish and squid, which they catch by diving straight down into the water from the air.
Tropicbirds’ feathers are mainly white. They have two extremely long, slender middle tail feathers. The red-billed tropicbird lives in tropical parts of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. It has a coral-red bill, black wing tips, and many black bars across its back. The bird is nearly 40 inches (100 centimeters) long, including its middle tail feathers, which measure about 20 inches (50 centimeters). Other kinds of tropicbirds are the white-tailed and the red-tailed.
Loading the player...White-tailed tropicbird
Tropicbirds nest in holes, in cracks in rocks, or on sand. On land, a tropicbird shuffles along on its breast with outstretched wings because it cannot stand.
