Breeding birds of Christmas Island

In referring to   the previous title “ Breeding Birds of Christmas Island- Kiribati 2005”, the subsequent paragraphs have described the breeding bird species as shown on the issued stamp.

Lesser Frigatebird – Fregata ariel

The Lesser Frigatebird (Fregata ariel) is common in tropical seas breeding on remote islands, including Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean in recent years. The male is mostly all black save for a white patch on the flank which extends on to the underwing as a spur. Males also have a pale bar on the upper wing. Females have a black head and neck with a white collar and breast as well as a spur extending on to the underwing. The female also has a narrow red ring around the eye.

Red-tailed Tropicbird /Phaethon rubricauda

The Red-tailed Tropicbird or Phaethon rubricauda looks like a stout tern, and hence closely resembles the other two tropicbird species. It has generally white plumage, often with a pink tinge, a black crescent around the eye and a thin red tail feather. It has a bright red bill and black feet.The Red-tailed Tropicbird is a seabird that nests across the Indian and Pacific Oceans

Blue Noddy – Procelsterna cerulea

The Blue Noddy (Procelsterna cerulea) is a species of tern in the Sternidae family which found in American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Hawaii. Its natural habitat is open, shallow seas in tropical and subtropical regions.

Christmas shearwater – Puffinus nativitatis

The Christmas Shearwater has dark plumage all over, generally blackish-grey with a rusty-brown tinge, slightly paler on the underside of the bird, and with some small edging of white under the chin and pale fringes to the upperwing coverts. It has brown-grey feet and a dark bill and eyes. Both sexes are alike, as are the young after fledging.

The Christmas Shearwater feeds at sea, predominantly on squid, and fish, mostly flying fish (Exocoetidae) and goatfish (Mullidae). It is highly pelagic and is dependent on predatory fish such as tuna driving prey species to the surface. The Christmas Shearwater nests on sandy islands with good cover. It nests on the surface, underneath dense cover (such as naupakas, Scaevola), or under rock outcroppings.

Sooty Tern – Sterna fuscata

The Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata), is a large seabird of the tern family (Sternidae) with distinctive size in  33–36 cm long and  82–94 cm in  wingspan. The wings and deeply forked tail are long, and it has dark black upperparts and white underparts. The Sooty Tern has black legs and bill. The average life span is 32 years.It is a bird of the tropical oceans, breeding on islands throughout the equatorial zone

Masked Booby – Sula dactylatra

The Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra) is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae. This species breeds on islands in tropical oceans. This is the largest booby, at 74–91 cm  long, with a 137–165 cm  wingspan and 1.2–2.35 kg weight.Adults are white with pointed black wings, a pointed black tail, and a dark grey facemask. The sexes are similar, but the male has a yellow bill, and the female's is greenish yellow; during the breeding season they have a patch of bare, bluish skin at the base of the bill.