SPECIES: Phaethon rubricauda westralis — Indian Ocean Red-tailed Tropicbird
CLASSIFICATION: Endangered
The Indian Ocean Red-tailed Tropicbird is a dazzling seabird with pure white plumage and long scarlet tail streamers, spending much of its life gliding over tropical waters. It breeds on scattered islands across the Indian Ocean, including remote Australian sites. Unlike many seabirds, these tropicbirds are elegant fliers that can even hover and fly backwards during their spectacular courtship displays.
Nesting colonies are under pressure from invasive weeds and predatory ants, while a mysterious disease affecting chicks has emerged as a new threat. Rising seas and extreme weather events add further risks to their already fragile breeding grounds, and their small, isolated populations make recovery harder. Recent successful nesting as far south as Rottnest Island, Western Australia, gives hope that with the right support, these striking seabirds can continue to grace our oceans for generations to come.