this family of the Rudder-footcontains only 3 types open sea-living in, mainly befiederter knows birds of the tropical regions of the Atlantic and Pacific. Tropikvögel have in the old-age-dress 2 of strongly extended tail-feathers (most inner pair) while young Tropikvögel in its wedge-shaped tail don't yet show any long tax-feathers and are black cross-striped on the upper side; all 3 types then sees even more similarly itself and is to be distinguished hardly of each other in the flight.
Tropikvögel remind despite it, swinging reaches something in its flight-picture at deaf persons if they - practically without Gleitphasen - constantly there-fly in some height over the water-surface with fast, powerful flaps. Like likes to fish it like dolts in the Stoßtauchen and lets itself down-fall from 10-20 m of height on fish and Kopffüßer. Tropikvögel has strengthen, only little downward bent beaks, that admittedly doesn't reach the proportions like with dolts, to seizing moderate-sized loot-animals however quite suitable is.
Reproduction Only during the incubation, Tropikvögel meet on stony, uninhabited islands to smaller colonies, (at favorable Nistplätzen, vehement fights for the nest-location often take place) about in each case one single egg without special Nistunterlage on bare rock-ground or on earthy underground in the protection of a column as well as, to hatch under shrubbery.
Meanwhile, people can along-step at the birds without them flying up from its "nest" or run (on foot, Tropikvögel with their legs positioning at the torso far behind can move only badly).
After approximately 6 weeks of brood-duration slips the kid covered with one dense whitish or brownish Dunenkleid. Both alto-birds bring the food until the young Tropikvogel finally becomes fully-fledged after 9-15 weeks. Full-grown animals roam alone or in pairs far over the open sea and only rarely settle swimming on the water.
Types With 60-100 cm of total-length (the tail takes 19-65 cm with it), the Rotschnabel-Tropikvogel (Phaëthon aethereus) is the biggest type of its family. Backs and wing-upper sides are drawn also in the old-age-dress with it with fine, black strips. On each head-side, a black bond of the upper beak-root moves over the eye until in the neck. The 5,3-6,5 cm long beak is coral until orange. Rotschnabel-Tropikvögel breed Z. B. on the Galápagos-Inseln, Antilles, cape Verdischen islands, on Ascensión, St. Helena and on many further isles before Mexico and South America's coasts as well as in the Persian golf and in the golf of Aden.
The Weißschwanz-Tropikvogel (Phaëthon lepturus) becomes 39-80 cm long from what 10-54 cm are allotted to the tail-length; it has a mainly white plumage with a reddish touch.
The 9-46 cm long and very narrow, dark-red middle tail-feathers as well as the white plumage with one black half-moon each on each head-side are a good recognition-characteristic for the 46-90 cm long Rotschwanz-Tropikvogel (Phaëthon rubricauda). it deviates something also in the behavior, because it flies moreover somewhat more quietly than the other both types and inserts the öfteren sail-flights with only occasional flaps.
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