Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

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Phaethon aethereus Linnaeus, 1758

Rabijunco Piquirrojo, Pájaro Tropical, Red-Billed Tropicbird, Bosun bird

A Tropicbird in flight. Photo: CDF Archive.
A Tropicbird in flight. Photo: CDF Archive.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Animalia

Phylum
Chordata

Class
Aves

Order
Pelecaniformes

Family
Phaethontidae

Genus
Phaethon

Species
aethereus

Taxon category: Accepted

Syn.: Phaethon aethereus mesonauta, Phaethon aethereus cf. mesonauta

Origin: Native

Status

Vulnerable

Ecology

Feeding type: Piscivorous

Fish

Trophic role: Carnivorous

Reproduction mode: Exclusively sexual

Distribution

Distribution: Nest on seacliffs and smaller islets throughout the archipelago.

References

  • Castro, I. Phillips, A. (1996) A Guide to the Birds of the Galapagos Islands. Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd., London.
  • Freile, J.F. Santander, T., Jiménez-Uzcátegui, G., Carrasco, L., Cisneros-Heredia, D., Guevara, E., Sánchez-Nivicela, M., Tinoco, B. (2019) Lista Roja de las aves del Ecuador Quito, Ecuador. 97 pp.
  • Harris, M.P. (1975) Additions to the Galápagos avifauna. Condor 77(3): 355.
  • Harris, M.P. (1982) A field guide to the birds of Galápagos. Collins, London, 2nd ed., 160 pp.
  • Hickin, N. (1979) Animal life of the Galapagos. Ferundune Books, Faringdon, U.K., 236 pp.
  • IUCN (2015) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015-4. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 20 November 2015.
  • Jiménez-Uzcátegui, G. Milstead, B., Márquez, C., Zabala, J., Buitrón, P., Llerena, A., et al. (2007) Galapagos vertebrates: endangered status and conservation actions. Galapagos Report 2006–2007. Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, p. 104–110.
  • Salvin, O. (1876) On the avifauna of the Galápagos Archipelago. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 9: 447-510.
  • Swarth, H.S. (1931) The Avifauna of the Galapagos Islands. Occ. Pap. Calif. Acad. Sci. 18: 1-299.
  • Wiedenfeld, D.A. (2006) Aves, the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Check List 2006 2(2): 1-27.

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This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Phaethon aethereus", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=5143. Accessed 3 April 2026.