The One

Red-tailed Tropicbirds(Phaethon rubricauda) are the "rarest" of the three tropicbird species in North America.(The Birds of North America, No. 43, 1993, AOU) They are actually the only species we regularly see on Tern I. They nest in the NW Hawaiian Islands chain and disperse widely across the central and south Pacific during the nonbreeding season.

This species has a low chick survival rate. Particulary compared to the generally high rate(as compared to song birds) that true seabirds enjoy.

Nevertheless. The RTTR's are coming back scouting the island for nest possibilities.

There are always outliers to any stat, graph, table, illustrating the particular topic; i.e. birds appear or nest or egg-laying. Other RTTR's have been hovering around the island, or dropping down to check out crevices and other suitable nesting locales.

We have had one RTTR on an egg for awhile, well ahead of schedule.

This happened the previous year, and the results were not successful.

The two other people I came here with, and I, have been rooting it on, because we have never see a very young tropicbird chick, and we are leaving the island soon. We had see the older ones, the ones at that precarious stage where adult is basically gone...the young bird is either able to catch the wind or starves out.

So here are pictures of young outlier. I am fortunate to see this species at all, fortunate to be in such close proximity, fortunate to see events such as these....

Fortunate.

Oh, and first seen hatched on Christmas by the way.

Anyhow, lets root this kid on.

Tropicbird spp.(there are only 3 spp. world-wide) have no incubation patch. The egg is tucked under the belly feathers. So is the chick at this age.

Like most true seabirds. Male and female share in incubation duties as well as chick rearing.

-mwy