Transoceanic dispersion of the Red-tailed Tropicbird in the Indian Ocean

Abstract

A Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) banded at Sugarloaf Rock (Western Australia) in January 1998 as a chick was recovered almost 6000 km away in September 2001 at Réunion Island as a non-breeding adult. This is the second case of transoceanic dispersion of Red-tailed Tropicbirds in the Indian Ocean. This recovery shows that this species can disperse over very large distances, following prevailing trade winds in the Indian Ocean, as found in the tropical Pacific Ocean.