Their red bill, white plumage and streamer tails make them beautiful, but not much is known about red billed tropicbirds. The migratory birds spend most time at sea, but only when it is time for breeding, they return to land.
Researchers now believe that they have located the most important breeding spot for red-billed tropicalbirds in West Africa, on the island Sal in Cabo Verde. Local rangers working alongside Project BiodiversityCabo Verdean conservationists, CRAVE, patrol high up in the cliffs and tag birds. They also collect information that is used to process the data at the University of Barcelona. The data they collect is an important indicator of ocean health and will be used to establish a benchmark for protecting birds from man-made threats like pollution, tourism, and introduced species such as dogs and rats.
A film by Clare Richardson, Henning Goll
