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Phaethon lepturus
Basic stats
Diet
Fish and squid, caught by plunge-diving
Habitat
Open ocean, breeding on tropical island cliffs
Range
Tropical Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans
Clutch size
1 egg
Incubation period
About 40 days
Size
Medium (37–39cm plus tail streamers)
Wingspan
~89–96cm
Weight
~300–450g
A slender white seabird with a yellow-orange bill, black wing bars, and elegant elongated white tail streamers, a true creature of the open ocean.
Rarely recorded off Borneo, this pelagic species keeps far from land except when breeding, so most local sightings are storm-driven strays passing offshore.
