Tropicbirds are pelagic seabirds, spending most of their life airborne, hovering and diving for fish. With only small, weak feet, she is clumsy on land, and only comes ashore to breed. For this she favours rocky cliffs with some shelter. Elaborate, aerial courtship dances help her to determine her choice of mate. Once paired, the two form a monogamous bond that often last several breeding seasons. Both male and female have elongated central tail feathers, making the Tropicbird unmistakable in flight. Like many seabirds, she has suffered from rising temperatures and el nino weather fluctuations, with recent breeding seasons becoming decreasingly succesful.
This is a Red-billed Tropicbird.
No comments:
Post a Comment