Not just turtles spend their lives in the open sea returning to land only to nest. Some birds too live on the wing over water. Faraaz Abdool describes the life of the red-billed tropicbird which nests on Little Tobago.
It begins with the cracking of an egg, precariously placed in nothing more than a loosely scraped clearing on the precipitous slopes of Little Tobago. A ball of greyish fuzz emerges, a brand new red-billed tropicbird – an angel of the Atlantic. In the weeks before it develops the ability to fly, the young tropicbird enjoys a continuous delivery of fresh flying fish each day from both parents. Unaware of the trials and tribulations ahead, it grows quickly.
Young tropicbirds typically enter the world without a sibling. They aren’t alone, however, as red-billed tropicbirds arrive in their hundreds to breed on Little Tobago. Technically, tropicbirds are not colonial by nature – even while nesting – they can nest on their own or among others with equal comfort. It is the environment that dictates much of their movements and mannerisms. The geology, ecology, and location of Little Tobago combine to make an idyllic breeding site, attracting not only tropicbirds, but many other species of seabirds.
Our young red-billed tropicbird enjoys a charmed life. The mild climate and the lack of terrestrial predators on this small tropical islet mean that the chick can grow in peace. Little Tobago sits near the edge of the South American continental shelf, at the confluence of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The proximity to deep water upwellings and boundary lines between major currents adds to the appeal of the island, as a steady and accessible food source is essential for being able to bring a hatchling to adulthood.
[caption id="attachment_998929" align="alignnone" width="1024"] This red-billed tropicbird has lost its graceful long tail feathers, most likely to overzealous frigatebirds. - Faraaz Abdool[/caption]
After approximately three months of being landlocked, the red-billed tropicbird begins to stretch its wings. Freshly sprouted flight feathers beg to hold the bird aloft – but to become airborne it must first get itself to an appropriate launch point. Tropicbirds are built for the open ocean, they are ill-equipped to manoeuvre through branches and over rocks. For those on the extreme edge of the cliff, they can simply spread their wings and allow the rising wind currents to lift them off the island. Tropicbirds nesting under the cover of Little Tobago’s dry forest must hop and stumble until they can get a view of the horizon.
Once a bird begins to fly, it leaves the nest and is considered to have fledged. Many of the birds we are familiar with – mockingbirds, thrushes, tanagers, hummingbirds, and so on – continue to be fed by parents until the young bird learns the ropes of adulthood. Once a tropicbird fledges, however, it is considered capable of sourcing its own meals!
Red-billed tropicbirds feed on a variety of small fish and squid.