Red-billed tropicbird

Phaethon aethereus

The Red-billed tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) is a bird found in Ecuador, United States, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago and Cape Verde. Open tropical oceans, nesting on cliffs of remote islands. It eats fish and insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Phaethon aethereus
Region	South America
Found in	Ecuador, United States, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago and Cape Verde

🏡 Where the Red-billed tropicbird lives

Open tropical oceans, nesting on cliffs of remote islands.

🍽️ What it eats

🐟 Fish80%
🐛 Insects & bugs20%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 Its long, trailing tail feathers look like streamers when it flies.

Hear the Red-billed tropicbird

Recorded by Phoenix Birder (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC503607. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Red-billed tropicbird

Where does the Red-billed tropicbird live?

The Red-billed tropicbird lives in Ecuador, United States, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago and Cape Verde. Open tropical oceans, nesting on cliffs of remote islands.

What does the Red-billed tropicbird eat?

fish (about 80%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 20%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Red-billed tropicbird endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from South America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.