Austral Islands/Raivavae: White-tailed Tropicbirds
At the very top of the Mount Hiro and the green mountains of Raivavae, there are dozens of white-tailed tropicbirds, spectacular seabirds soaring above the aquamarine lagoon and nesting in the vertical cliffs. Similar to the slightly bigger red-tailed tropic birds I’ve seen before, this one is a bit smaller, around 80-90cm long with the completely white tail being double the body length. They nest right on the vertical cliffs of the north of Raivavae, laying eggs into the crevasses of the vertical walls above the ocean, and aggressively try to stop you from coming close to their nests.
