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| General Comments |
Until the mid- or late 1990's, there were very few state records of the spectacular Red-billed Tropicbird, and one could almost assume a tropicbird on a pelagic trip prior to this time to be a White-tailed. However, records of Red-billed Tropicbirds have accumulated considerably since about 1995, such that one to several are seen offshore every year. Nonetheless, one has only a 1/10 to 1/20 chance, perhaps, of seeing one on a given Gulf Stream trip in the warmer months, making it clearly a red-letter bird on a trip. Unlike the White-tailed, this species has yet to be seen inland, perhaps because it is a larger bird and a stronger flier, less prone to be carried astray. |
| Breeding Status |
Nonbreeder |
| NC BRC List |
Definitive |
| State Status |
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| U.S. Status |
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| State Rank |
SZ |
| Global Rank |
G5 |
| Coastal Plain |
Offshore visitor. Rare in the Gulf Stream, and less regular than White-tailed, from spring to fall; more frequent than White-tailed in cooler weather and/or over cooler water temperatures, with a peak in mid- and late May; many records mid-May to early Sep; one quite early record, one off Hatteras Inlet, 29 Mar 1997. Remarkable was one photographed flying south past a pier at Nags Head (Dare) on 9 Feb 2018*; this is certainly one of the very few winter records for the United States. Peak offshore counts: 2, off Oregon Inlet, 16 May 1979; 2, off Oregon Inlet, 27 May 2003; all of the other records are of single birds. Only a few additional reports from shore: one, Figure Eight Island (New Hanover), 14 Aug 2004; one, Cape Hatteras Point, 10 Mar 2009, and again 21 Apr 2009 (same bird?); one, Cape Hatteras Point, 24 May - 10 Jun 2011; one again at this site, 15 May 2013; one again at this site, 2 Apr 2017; one again at this site, 25 Mar 2921; again one at this site, 30 May 2022; and again on 23 Apr 2024. One was also at the Salt Pond at Cape Hatteras Point on 29 Mar 2016; probably the same bird was there on 18 Apr 2016. One at nearby Sandy Bay at Hatteras (village) on 25-26 Apr 2106 could have been the bird at Cape Hatteras Point earlier in the spring. It is likely that just one or a few birds are responsible for all of these odd Cape Point records in spring. No far inland records. |
| Piedmont |
No records. |
| Mountains |
No records. |
| Finding Tips |
Seeing a Red-billed Tropicbird on an organized pelagic trip is simply a matter of luck, though there is a better chance of seeing one in Apr or May than during the hotter parts of the year. Take plenty of four-leaf clovers and rabbit's-feet along!
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| Attribution |
LeGrand[2024-08-05], LeGrand[2023-03-14], LeGrand[2022-09-12] |
