• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

• Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

• Birds (Class Aves)

• Tropicbirds (Order Phaethontiformes)​

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​The order Phaethontiformes consists of the tropicbirds, a small group of highly specialized seabirds found throughout tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide. The order contains a single family, Phaethontidae, and three living species. Tropicbirds are easily recognized by their slender bodies, predominantly white plumage, black facial markings, long pointed wings, and especially their elongated central tail feathers, which can extend far beyond the rest of the tail and give the birds a graceful appearance in flight. They spend most of their lives far out at sea, feeding primarily on fish and squid captured by plunge-diving into the ocean. During the breeding season, they nest on remote oceanic islands, coastal cliffs, and rocky outcrops, usually laying a single egg in a simple ground scrape or crevice.