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phaethon aethereus

Size: 45cm from bill to tail (plus an additional 40-50cm of tail streamers) and a wingspan of around 90cm.

Status: Fairly common but localised summer breeding visitor to offshore islands and steep coastal cliffs, mainly from mid-March to late September.

Identification: Distinct black markings on white plumage, extraordinary tail streamers and a bright red bill.

Voice: Utters loud, repetitive shrieks.

Behaviour: Leads a totally pelagic life outside the breeding season, patrolling the oceans in search of food. Lives on fish, especially flying fish, and may also take squid. Food caught by plunge diving into surface water with some flying fish being caught in the air.

Breeding: In Oman, nests in rock cavities in most inaccessible parts of rocky offshore islands and steep coastal cliffs. The nest itself is a simple scrape and only one egg is laid. The aerial courtship display is noisy and spectacular with a variety of aerobatics, some in unison by a pair.

Where to look: Fahal Island near Muscat, Ras al Khabbah near Sur and the south coast from Mirbat to Mughsayl.

Distribution: Found in tropical and subtropical waters in a band around the Equator except for the Far East.