In a MEGA discovery that has spread excitement around the international birding community, a world-renowned wildlife specialist has documented a species never before recorded on St Helena. Emin Yoğurtcuoğlu, a researcher affectionately known as the “Bird Detective,” captured definitive evidence of a red-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) on April 24, 2026, marking a historic moment for South Atlantic ornithology.
The sighting occurred during his St Helena, stopover of the Atlantic Odyssey, an expedition travelling up the Atlantic from its last stop at Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, Tristan da Cunha, now travelling towards Ascension Island aboard the MV Hondius of Oceanwide Expeditions.
While St Helena is famous for its endemic Wire Bird, this unexpected visitor from the Indian Ocean has turned the “Odyssey” into a record-breaking journey.
The find on the slopes of Ladder Hill, near the historic cannons overlooking the western cliffs. Emin, accompanied by fellow birders Jonathan Slifkin and Melike Güner, was observing the resident colony of red-billed tropicbirds when a flash of brilliant white and a distinct crimson tail caught his eye.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes for a second,” Emin said, describing the moment he saw the bird deep below the cannons. “It is not known from here. This appears to be the first record for the Island, only the fifth record for the entire Atlantic Ocean, and the northernmost sighting of the species to date.”
The red-tailed tropicbird is typically found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Experts believe this individual may be a “vagrant”, a bird blown off course by storms or it may also be an indication of stress from the rapidly changing ocean temperatures due to global warming and struggling to find fish to feed on, beginning to explore new areas.
In a race against time before his ship’s departure, Emin managed to capture high-quality photographs and video of the bird’s behaviour. The “Bird Detective” observed a poignant scene: the lone traveller was desperately attempting to integrate into the resident red-billed tropicbird colony.
“It was trying to be a part of the red-billed tropicbirds, but they were ignoring him,” Emin explained. “He was calling and trying to join them in the nests, but they didn’t recognise him as one of their own. He was quite aggressive, as if saying, ‘Accept me, I am also here!’
While the resident birds remained indifferent to the intruder, if another individual of the same species (and of the opposite sex) were to arrive, it would be inevitable for them to establish a breeding presence on the island; therefore, Emin emphasised the importance of local nature enthusiasts or any birdwatchers on the island keeping track of this bird.
The magnitude of the find became clear during a serendipitous encounter between the researcher and Tony Leo of Tony’s Storyteller Tours and volunteer radio presenter for the South Atlantic media Services and Saint FM Community Radio.
As Emin rushed to return to the wharf before the ship’s cutoff time, he had hitched a ride back from ladder Hill with the just the right person, Tony Leo, who immediately noticed his passenger’s intense state of excitement.
“I’ve never come across a person looking so excited,” Tony remarked during a quick interview conducted as they drove towards the pier. “To me, it’s a bird. If I saw it, I’d say we have many like that. But Emin has identified it as something completely different.”
During the ride, Emin verified the rarity of the sighting via the internet, confirming that his discovery would make him the envy of the 60+ other birdwatchers aboard the ship. “I am going to report this immediately to eBird,” he told Tony. “For scientific purposes, I want to make sure the exact spot by the two old cannons facing west is documented.” As soon as Emin reached the zodiac departure point at the landing steps, he informed the birders on the ship, creating a wave of excitement.
There are currently around 11,000 bird species in the world, and Emin has observed approximately 4,500 of them and holds the record for the most sightings in his native Turkey, this discovery is part of a larger life mission. He tracks declining and rare species to create an archive for future generations, a project he finds particularly relevant on St Helena, where six of the island’s seven original endemic land birds have been lost since human arrival.
“It’s a life journey,” he said. “Once you bring out your own wings and start to emigrate among the birds, you feel the freedom.”
As the MV Hondius sails north, the expedition team is now on the verge of a world-first achievement. If they successfully spot the White-tailed Tropic Bird on Ascension Island, they will become the first team to record all three tropicbird species Red-billed, Red-tailed, and White-tailed within a single Atlantic Odyssey.
Emin is currently preparing a formal scientific paper on the St Helena record in collaboration with Daniel López Velasco for the publication Dutch Birding.
A plea for records: Emin Yoğurtcuoğlu and the research team are eager to verify if this is indeed the absolute first sighting.
Does anyone else on St Helena have a record or a photograph of a red-tailed bird among the tropicbird colonies?
Information can be shared with the “Bird Detective” via his Instagram birddetective reported to local environmental authorities, or emailed to editor@sthelenaonline.org