Evidence found
701 records across 22 countries and territories, 1859–2026.
Phaethon rubricauda · GBIF taxon key 2481361
Where has the Red-tailed Tropicbird been recorded?
Phaethon rubricauda occurrence evidence comes from 701 records in 22 countries and territories, from 1859 to 2026. Most records come from United States.
- 701 records
- 22 places
- 83 years recorded
- Aves class
Observation evidence passport
Source coverage
CC0 GBIF Animalia occurrence facets, including country, month and year summaries.
Refreshed 2026-09-24. Inspect the taxon on GBIF.
What this means
The species has been recorded in the listed places in the stated source universe. Peak month: June.
12 months reach at least 10% of the peak facet count.
What this does not mean
repeated describes the record pattern, not a formal range, residency, abundance or conservation assessment.
A single record remains evidence of a recording, not proof that a population lives there.
Compare this animal’s observation pattern
When it is recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
Peak month: June. Records cluster in the months an animal is present and being looked for, so a summer peak can reflect observer effort as much as the animal.
Records over time
18592026
Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.
Where Red-tailed Tropicbird has been recorded
The countries below show where occurrence evidence exists for Red-tailed Tropicbird. They do not define a complete habitat range: survey effort differs by place, and historical or one-off records can appear alongside repeated presence.
| Place | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 290 | |
| United States Minor Outlying Islands | 137 | |
| Australia | 52 | |
| ZZ | 29 | |
| Christmas Island | 26 | |
| Cook Islands | 13 | |
| Mauritius | 11 | |
| Madagascar | 10 | |
| Norfolk Island | 7 | |
| French Polynesia | 6 | |
| PN | 5 | |
| Kiribati | 4 | |
| Mexico | 4 | |
| Indonesia | 3 | |
| Japan | 3 | |
| New Zealand | 3 | |
| American Samoa | 1 | |
| France | 1 | |
| New Caledonia | 1 | |
| Réunion | 1 | |
| Tokelau | 1 | |
| Samoa | 1 |
Related animals
Others in the family Phaethontidae.
Record pattern: repeated
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.