Payanke is the creole name for the Tropicbird.
The name literally means 'straw in tail' (think of a phonetic spelling of the French paille en queue) and is a reference to the prominent tail streamers of the adult birds. These birds feature in the gallery and provide the distinctive name for the site.
Three species of these birds exist, all of which can be seen in Seychelles. By far the most common is the White-tailed Tropicbird (Payanke Lake Blan, Phaethon lepturus).
The Red-tailed Tropicbird (Payanke Lake Rouz, Phaethon rubricauda) is much less common and is not yet featured in the gallery. The third species, the Red-billed Tropicbird (Payanke Labek Rouz, Phaethon aethereus) is an occasional vagrant.