Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Phaethon lepturus

Rākoa

White-tailed Tropicbird

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult in flight and fledgling	37KB
Image:	Adult in flight	21KB
Image:	Fledgling, & head detail	202KB
Image:	Juvenile in nest	172KB
Image:	Similar species: illustration, Tavake & Räkoa	54KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: White-tailed Tropicbird, Bo'sun-bird [derived from Boatswain's-bird, because the tail feathers resemble the marlinspike carried by the Boatswain on sailing ships]; German Weissschwanz-Tropikvogel

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Rākoa (RR AK TW MH RK), Pirake (MG), Pīrake (AT), Tara (MK MT), Lākoa (TS), Tavake Mokomoko (PK NS)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical (on islands)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Resident Breeder; Marine, pelagic, nest on Land

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++	+	+	+	-	++	-	-	-

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
+	+	+	+	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Phaethon lepturus (Daudin, 1802)
SYNONYMS: Phaeton lepturus Daudin, 1802

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); TETRAPODA; AVES; NEORNITHES; Pelecaniformes; PHAETHONTIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -. Comment: NBSAP - Atiu (4 of 5 wild)

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Phaethon lepturus.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM03b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List