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A medium-sized white seabird with black marks on the wings and a yellow beak.
Not listed
Indigenous: White-Tailed Bos'n-Bird, Golden Bosun-Bird, White-Tailed Tropic-Bird
At a glance
FamilyTropicbirds
SizeLarge
RarityUncommon
HabitatClosed forest, Grassland, Open woodland, Sparse woodland, and Waterbodies
Best timeMost reliable in Queensland from July to August.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Dries Van de Loock
Range map
Range map
120visible hotspots
520visible records
3states
SparseModerateDense hotspot
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
The long white tail streamers are visible from a great distance. Often seen flying over canyons and along cliffs. Calls are loud clucks and squawks. Smaller and more graceful in flight than Red-tailed Tropicbird.
Behavior
Nests on coastal and inland cliffs on the main islands. At sea usually flies high above the water.
Gallery