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Koa‘ekea
The koa‘ekea's (white-tailed tropic bird) body is about 15-16
inches long as an adult, and 28-32 inches long including their
tail streamers. It has a wingspan of 35-38 inches, and a yellow
to orange bill. There is a black diagonal bar on the upperside
of its inner wing, and its average lifespan is about 16 years.
They only lay one egg, of which the chick is tightly brooded during
the first few days of hatching. They are typically solitary feeders,
but are sometimes seen in pairs. Koa‘ekea have a diet mainly
consisting of fish and squid. They fold their wings, and hit the
water. They completely submerge to seize and swallow prey before
taking flight. These white-tailed tropic birds begin nesting around
4 years of age (1/4 of the way through the average life span) and
normally make their nests in root bases of trees such as the ironwood,
or on pali (cliffs).
This is a picture of a cliff that could possibly support a koa‘ekea
Information obtained from:
"
White-tailed Tropicbird." 2005. 11/2/06. <www.encyclopedia.mu/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Oceanic/PailleEnQueue.htm>
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