Birds are known to wander to unlikely places. Often referred to as vagrants, these feathered travelers stray far from their normal range, usually due to weather events, navigational errors, or changes in their environment. On March 18, 2017, Pensacola Beach welcomed an unlikely vagrant to its crystal-clear, emerald waters; a Red-billed Tropicbird!
When this bird was first found, it was noted that this was an adult bird “…with an extremely long tail, red bill, dark marking behind eye almost to nape and dark barring on back,” suggesting that it was already at least two years old, since this species gains their adult plumage after two to three years. The long tail streamers suggested it was a male. The Red-billed Tropicbird was reported at Shoreline Park over 160 times on eBird in 2017 over a three-month period, and birders flocked to the area from all over for a chance at seeing this rare seabird! It was unclear why the tropicbird strayed so far from its typical breeding grounds on scattered islands in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
When early spring 2018 came around this species was once again spotted floating in the middle of Pensacola Bay. It became obvious that this was the same returning bird, perhaps developing an unusual migratory pattern: a classic case of persistent vagrancy, which indicated the tropicbird had a strong connection to this location, possibly driven by favorable conditions like high food abundance. Year after year, the Red-billed Tropicbird continued to show up right around mid-March, stayed for a few weeks and then departing for the year.
This spring, I finally got to experience this for myself. Reports had already started circling the local birding community that the tropicbird was back, marking its ninth consecutive year. On April 10, 2025, a typical Thursday morning, I was conducting imperiled beach-nesting bird surveys on Pensacola Beach. I arrived at my last survey site, which happened to be near the tropicbird’s typical hangout spot, and observed Least Terns circling a historic nesting area. Unannounced, out came none other than “Troppy” himself flying right over my head, showing off his comically long tail streamers as he bounced across the sky with elegance! He swirled over the area as I stood there in awe before finally snapping a few photos. On its final pass, it let out a call I will never forget, a tern-like shrill with a series of rattles at the end. The whole experience only lasted a few minutes, but left such a long-lasting impression on me. A truly unforgettable moment.
A text excerpt taken from the online Audubon Bird Guide states: “Common in parts of the Caribbean, the Red-billed Tropicbird very rarely strays to waters off Florida or elsewhere in the east,” highlighting just how rare of a phenomenon it is for a Red-billed Tropicbird to return to Pensacola Bay waters every year. I hope to welcome it back come spring 2026.
