Bicolour Parrotfish
Cetoscarus bicolor
Loud, colourful, and the unsung architects of every white sand beach. Listen for their crunching as they bite the reef.
- Size
- 25–90 cm
- Depth
- 1–30 m
- Sighting odds
- common
- IUCN status
- LC
About this species
Parrotfish use beak-like fused teeth to scrape algae from coral, ingesting the limestone in the process. They digest the algae and excrete the limestone as fine white sand — a single large parrotfish produces about 90 kg of beach sand per year. Bicolour parrotfish are among the largest, reaching 90 cm.
Fun facts
- A single fish makes 90 kg of beach sand per year
- Sleep at night in a mucus cocoon they secrete
- Change sex from female to male as they age
- You can hear them crunching coral underwater
Best sites for this species
Abu Ramada North
The gentler twin of Abu Ramada South — calmer current, shallower reef, ideal for newly-certified Open Water divers and underwater photographers.
Abu Hashish
A sprawling reef system south of Hurghada with multiple dive profiles in one location — wall, sandy slope, lagoon, and seagrass beds where turtles graze and dugongs occasionally appear.
Gota Abu Ramada
Nicknamed 'The Aquarium' for good reason — the densest, most riotous fish life of any easy reef in the Hurghada area. The first dive every visiting photographer asks for.
Want to dive with bicolour parrotfish?
Tell us when you're coming and we'll plan a dive that maximises your chances.