News
SpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliamentSpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliament
EveryFish
Female Gomphosus varius on Flynn Reef in the Great Barrier Reef near Cairns, Queensland, Australia.

Bird wrasse

A long-snouted Indo-Pacific reef fish that changes sex.

Photo: Toby Hudson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The bird wrasse is a medium-sized marine fish found across the Indo-Pacific. It features a distinctive elongated snout and exhibits sequential hermaphroditism, starting life as a female before transitioning to male. This species inhabits coral reefs and feeds on small crustaceans.

Share on WhatsApp

  • Reaches a standard length of 30 cm
  • Features a distinctive long snout and jerky swimming
  • Changes sex from female to male during life
  • Found in Indo-Pacific reefs and lagoons
  • Hybridizes with Thalassoma species in the wild

What it is

The bird wrasse is a medium-sized member of the wrasse family. It grows to a standard length of 30 cm. The body is elongated and compressed from side to side, ending in a truncated tail. Its most notable feature is a long, prominent snout. Adults swim with a jerky flapping motion of their pectoral fins. Juveniles lack this distinct nose shape, making them harder to identify. The species undergoes significant physical changes as it matures and shifts sex.

Where it lives

This fish inhabits tropical and subtropical waters across the Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends from the eastern Indian Ocean to various oceanic islands in the Pacific, including the Hawaiian archipelago. It prefers environments rich in hard coral. Typical habitats include external reef slopes and lagoon areas. These locations provide the structural complexity the species needs for feeding and shelter.

How it lives

Active during the day, the bird wrasse is usually solitary but may form small groups. It is a carnivore that hunts primarily for small benthic crustaceans hidden within corals. Its diet also includes brittle stars, molluscs, and small fish. The species exhibits sequential hermaphroditism, meaning individuals change sex during their lifetime. It is likely protogynous, starting as a female and later becoming a male. Hybridization with Thalassoma species occurs in the wild.

Breeding and life cycle

The bird wrasse changes sex as part of its life cycle. This process involves considerable variation in body shape, colour intensity, and pattern. Females are smaller and duller than males. Their anterior body is light-coloured, with a pearly white belly and grayish flanks lined with dark borders. The upper snout is red-orange. Males display a more uniform greenish hue, which varies with maturity and mating status. The head may appear dark bluish, and the pectoral fin shoulder has a yellowish tint.

Bird wrasse
A drawing made by EveryFish from what this page says. It is a diagram, not a picture of the real fish.

Fish and people

The bird wrasse is known to aquarium enthusiasts due to its unique appearance and behaviour. Its distinctive long snout and active swimming style make it a recognizable species in marine collections. The species is sometimes confused with its close relative, Gomphosus caeruleus, though they differ in colour and range.

Gomphosus varius — Bird wrasse
Gomphosus varius — Bird wrasse. Photo: Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
www.fishbase.de/summary/gomphosus-varius Gomphosus varius
www.fishbase.de/summary/gomphosus-varius Gomphosus varius. Photo: Rickard Zerpe, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo of Bird Wrasse uploaded from iNaturalist .
Photo of Bird Wrasse uploaded from iNaturalist .. Photo: (c) nmoorhatch, some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Morotai, Indonesia - Pacific bird wrasse female (Gomphosus varius)
Morotai, Indonesia - Pacific bird wrasse female (Gomphosus varius). Photo: Rickard Zerpe, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Questions people ask about Bird wrasse

What does the bird wrasse eat?

It is a carnivore that feeds mainly on small benthic crustaceans found in corals. It also consumes brittle stars, molluscs, and small fish.

How can you tell a male from a female?

Females are smaller with duller colours, including a pearly white belly and red-orange snout. Males are larger with a uniform greenish body and possible bluish head tones.

Where does the bird wrasse live?

It lives in tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific waters. It frequents external reef slopes and lagoon areas that are rich in hard coral structures.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Gomphosus varius", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryFish rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes, and figures change over time. Nothing here is investment or buying advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-11-15.

Like Bird wrasse

All reef fish
WorldGreen chromis Small iridescent reef damselfish found across the Indo-Pacific.Reef fish · Coral reefs WorldRegal blue tang Bright blue reef fish with a yellow tail and black markings.Reef fish · Coral reefs East AsiaTomato clownfish A bright orange-red marine fish from the Western Pacific.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldBluespotted cornetfish Long, slender reef fish with a tubular snout and blue spots.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves

More from Labridae

All of them
WorldWrasse A large family of colourful marine fish known for sex change and cleaning symbiosis.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldBluehead wrasse A small Atlantic reef fish known for changing sex and colour.Other · Coral reefs WorldQueen parrotfish A colourful reef fish that turns coral into sandReef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldParrotfish Reef-dwelling wrasses with beak-like teeth that grind coral into sand.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the fish of the day, new pages on EveryFish, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.