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Red-tailed tropicbird

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Description:	Red-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) from Takutea Island, Cook Islands.
Field Notes:	One of the last, relatively undisturbed breeding sites for these ground-nesters in the Pacific. Formerly, they nested on practically every Pacific island. They make good eating for islanders, and there satiny contour (body) feathers and sleek, slender, red tails (used in courtship) have always been in great demand for cultural reasons.