Red-Billed Tropicbird in Galápagos: Facts and Where to See It

Adults are white with black barring on the back, a red bill and long tail streamers, though the streamers are sometimes missing. Red-billed tropicbirds live mostly at sea in tropical and subtropical waters. They catch most of their prey by plunge-diving from the air, small fish above all and especially flying fish, which they sometimes take in flight. They also eat squid.

• Loose colonies. They breed in loose colonies on small, remote islands.
• Crevice nests. Nests sit in rock crevices or on the ground, preferably on cliffs, where take-off is easy.
• Galápagos stronghold. The largest colonies, with several thousand pairs, are in Galápagos and the Caribbean.

The species ranges across the tropical Atlantic, the northwest Indian Ocean and the eastern Pacific. Breeding colonies are found in Galápagos, on Chañaral Island off Chile, off Mexico's Pacific coast, in the Caribbean, Cape Verde, islands of the South Atlantic, off Senegal and on the coasts of Yemen, Oman and Saudi Arabia. In Galápagos, they are seen flying along sea cliffs and in and out of crevices.

Guide sighting records list tropicbirds at 5 sites. 4 are rated Possible, mostly along the cliffs: South Plaza, Darwin Bay and Prince Philip's Steps on Genovesa, and Punta Suárez on Española. Devil's Crown off Floreana is rated Rare.

The guide records list tropicbirds in every month. In the next twelve months, 741 departures stop at a site where they are seen.

No, it is listed as Least Concern, though BirdLife suspects a small decline. Elsewhere, invasive rats eat eggs and chicks, for example in Brazil's Abrolhos National Park, and coastal building and sea walls have taken nest sites. In Galápagos, park rules keep visitors on the trails and at least 2 metres (6 feet) from wildlife, including birds in cliff crevices beside the path.

1. Looking at the ground. Tropicbirds nest in cliff crevices; watch the cliff faces and the air in front of them.
2. Leaning over the edge. Stay on the trail along the cliffs.
3. Expecting them at sea level. They are seen mostly along the cliffs.