Phaethon rubricauda

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	PELECANIFORMES	PHAETHONTIDAE

Scientific Name:

Phaethon rubricauda

Species Authority:

Boddaert, 1783

Common Name/s:

English	–	Red-tailed Tropicbird
French	–	Phaéton à queue rouge

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Published:

2012

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Butchart, S. & Symes, A.

Contributor/s:

Justification:
This species has a very large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size may be moderately small to large, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

History:

2009	–	Least Concern
2008	–	Least Concern
2004	–	Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	The Red-tailed Tropicbird nests in the southern Indian Ocean, and just north of the Tropic of Cancer and south of the Tropic of Capricorn in the Pacific Ocean. It breeds on islands, but can also be found on the south-west coast of Australia¹.
Countries:	Native: Australia; Bangladesh; British Indian Ocean Territory; Canada; Chile; China; Christmas Island; Cocos (Keeling) Islands; Comoros; French Polynesia; Guam; India; Indonesia; Japan; Madagascar; Marshall Islands; Mauritius; Mayotte; Mexico; Micronesia, Federated States of; Mozambique; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Norfolk Island; Northern Mariana Islands; Palau; Philippines; Pitcairn; Réunion; Seychelles; Solomon Islands; South Africa; Taiwan, Province of China; Tonga; United States (Hawaiian Is.); United States (Hawaiian Is.); United States Minor Outlying Islands; Wallis and Futuna Vagrant: Brazil; Fiji; Kenya; Peru; Thailand Present - origin uncertain: American Samoa (American Samoa); Cook Islands; French Southern Territories (the); Kiribati; Malaysia; Maldives; Nauru; Niue; Papua New Guinea; Samoa; Somalia; Tanzania, United Republic of; Timor-Leste; Tokelau; Tuvalu; Vanuatu
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The global population is estimated to number > c.32,000 individuals (del Hoyo et al), while the population of Japan has been estimated at < c.100 breeding pairs and < c.50 individuals on migration (Brazil 2009).
Population Trend:	Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species feeds mostly on fish, especially flying-fish, and large quantities of squid. Crustaceans are also taken in places. Prey is caught by plunge-diving, but flying-fish can be taken in flight. Breeding is seasonal in places, takin place in loose colonies on small, remote oceanic islands mostly on inaccessible cliffs. No regular migrations are known and adults can be found in the vicinity of colonies all year round (del Hoyo et al. 1992).
Systems:	Terrestrial; Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

This species feeds mostly on fish, especially flying-fish, and large quantities of squid. Crustaceans are also taken in places. Prey is caught by plunge-diving, but flying-fish can be taken in flight. Breeding is seasonal in places, takin place in loose colonies on small, remote oceanic islands mostly on inaccessible cliffs. No regular migrations are known and adults can be found in the vicinity of colonies all year round (del Hoyo et al. 1992).

Systems:

Terrestrial; Marine

Citation:	BirdLife International 2012. Phaethon rubricauda. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2013.
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