2017 Wildlife Photo Contest

Species: Red-Tailed Tropicbird | Location: Papahanamokukea Marine National Monument, Hawaiian Archipelago, United States

The Red-Tailed Tropic bird is an elegant seabird with a brilliant long narrow tail feather. Tropicbirds are capable of flying long distances and feed by a diving spiraling plunge. Red-Tailed Tropicbird is monogamous. In the breeding season pairs engage in an unusual aerial courtship dance. They nest on the ground and have a single egg that both parents incubate and raise. The population in Hawaii is estimated at 9,000 to 12,000 breeding pairs. The worldwide population is estimated at 17,000 to 21,000.