Tropicbirds

Tropicbirds, the only members of the Phaethontidae family and Phaethontiformes order, are tropical seabirds renowned for their predominantly white plumage, distinctive elongated tail feathers, and weak legs and feet. These seabirds, which consist of three species within the genus Phaethon, were once mistakenly classified within the Pelecaniformes order. However, genetic research has revealed their closest relatives to be the sunbittern and kagu of the Eurypygiformes. Described for the first time by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, these birds also have a fossil record with several extinct genera known. Tropicbirds range in size and display various combinations of black markings on their bodies and have loud, distinctive calls. Typically feeding on fish by plunge-diving, they maintain solitary or paired lifestyles except during breeding season. During this time, they perform elaborate courtship rituals. They nest in holes or crevices, lay a single egg, and share incubation duties between partners. The slow-growing chicks eventually fledge after developing fat reserves, a trait believed to be an adaptation to their pelagic feeding challenges.