Tropic Bird (Phaeton Linn) a genus of web-footed oceanic birds, constituting the family pfiaëtonidm. They have a long, strong, pointed bill, broad at the base, slightly curved, without nail and the edges finely serrated; nostrils at base of bill, lateral, and pervious;, face covered with feathers; wings long and pointed, the first primary the longest; tarsi short and strong, feet small, and toes fully webbed; hind toe small; tail with two long, straw-like feathers, whence the French name paille en queue or straw-tail; sailors call them boatswain bird and marlinspike. In habits and appearance they come near the gulls and terns; they are chiefly confined to the tropics. Their powers of flight are great, and they are usually seen at considerable distances from land; they live almost entirely on the wing, and, when they do not return to the distant shore to roost, rest upon the surface of the ocean; they are excellent swimmers. The food consists of fish and other marine animals, which they dart upon from a great height; they are fond of following the shoals of flying fish, seizing them as they emerge from the sea.

They are not larger in the body than a pigeon, though longer; they congregate in considerable numbers at their breeding places, on rocky shores and desert islands, placing the nest on the ground or in holes in trees; the eggs are two; their flesh is fishy and tough. The common tropic bird (P. Oethereus, Linn.) is about 30 in. long and 38 in. in alar extent; it is of a satiny white, the wings banded with black, and the head, back, and wings tinged with cream color or light pink; first five primaries black on the outer webs, and the shafts of the long tail feathers black to near the end, where they are white; a black mark over eyes to occiput; bill orange red and iris brown; tarsus and toes yellow at base, webs and claws black. It sometimes comes near the Florida coast, but is usually seen in the tropical Atlantic far from land. The long tail feathers of the P. phcenicurus (Gmel.), inhabiting the tropical Pacific, are bright red, and are used as ornaments by the South sea islanders.

Tropic Bird (Phaeton aethereus).