Blue-footed Booby
Facts
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Location: Tropical and subtropical islands off the Pacific Ocean, most famously, the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
Lifespan: About 17 years
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Location: Tropical and subtropical islands off the Pacific Ocean, most famously, the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
Lifespan: About 17 years
Range shown by Red Colour
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Sulidae
Genus: Sula
Species: S. nebouxii
Binomial name: Sula nebouxii
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Sulidae
Genus: Sula
Species: S. nebouxii
Binomial name: Sula nebouxii
Description
Length: 81 cm (32 in)
Weight: 1.5 kg (3.3 lb)
Other: The females are slightly larger than the males. The species has long pointed wings and a wedge shaped tail. They have strong, thick necks. The booby's eyes are placed on either side of their bill and oriented towards the front. They have excellent binocular vision. The Blue-footed Booby's eyes are yellow. The male has more yellow on its iris than the female. The Blue-footed Booby has permanently closed nostrils made for diving. They breathe through the corners of their mouths. Their feet range from a pale turquoise to a deep aquamarine. Males and younger birds have lighter feet than females do.
Length: 81 cm (32 in)
Weight: 1.5 kg (3.3 lb)
Other: The females are slightly larger than the males. The species has long pointed wings and a wedge shaped tail. They have strong, thick necks. The booby's eyes are placed on either side of their bill and oriented towards the front. They have excellent binocular vision. The Blue-footed Booby's eyes are yellow. The male has more yellow on its iris than the female. The Blue-footed Booby has permanently closed nostrils made for diving. They breathe through the corners of their mouths. Their feet range from a pale turquoise to a deep aquamarine. Males and younger birds have lighter feet than females do.
Behaviour
Blue-foots will make raucous or polysyllabic grunts or shouts and thin whistle noise. The males of the species have been known to throw up their head and whistle at a passing, flying female. Their ritual displays are also a form of communication.
Blue-foots will make raucous or polysyllabic grunts or shouts and thin whistle noise. The males of the species have been known to throw up their head and whistle at a passing, flying female. Their ritual displays are also a form of communication.
Predators or Prey?
Predators of the Blue-footed Booby consist of humans. Humans are predators of the Blue-footed Booby because of pollution, illegal fishing (decrease in food), and new species being brought onto the island. The prey of the Blue-footed Booby is fish such as; sardines, anchovies, mackeral, and flying fish.
Predators of the Blue-footed Booby consist of humans. Humans are predators of the Blue-footed Booby because of pollution, illegal fishing (decrease in food), and new species being brought onto the island. The prey of the Blue-footed Booby is fish such as; sardines, anchovies, mackeral, and flying fish.
Diet
The Blue-footed Booby's diet consists mainly of fish. Blue-footed Boobies are specialized fish eaters feeding on small school fish like sardines, anchovies, mackerel, and flying fish. They also feed on squid and offal. The Blue-foot dives into the ocean, sometimes from a great height, and swims underwater in pursuit of its prey. It hunts singly, in pairs, or in larger flocks. They travel in parties of about 12 to areas of water with large schools of small fish. When the lead bird sees a fish shoal in the water, it will signal the rest of the group and they will all dive together. Surprisingly, individuals do not eat with the hunting group, preferring to eat on their own, usually in the early morning or late afternoon.
The Blue-footed Booby's diet consists mainly of fish. Blue-footed Boobies are specialized fish eaters feeding on small school fish like sardines, anchovies, mackerel, and flying fish. They also feed on squid and offal. The Blue-foot dives into the ocean, sometimes from a great height, and swims underwater in pursuit of its prey. It hunts singly, in pairs, or in larger flocks. They travel in parties of about 12 to areas of water with large schools of small fish. When the lead bird sees a fish shoal in the water, it will signal the rest of the group and they will all dive together. Surprisingly, individuals do not eat with the hunting group, preferring to eat on their own, usually in the early morning or late afternoon.
Habitat
Blue-footed Boobies are distributed among the continental coasts of the eastern Pacific Ocean to the Galápagos Islands and California. The Blue-footed Booby is strictly a marine bird. Their only need for land is to breed, which they do along rocky coasts.
Blue-footed Boobies are distributed among the continental coasts of the eastern Pacific Ocean to the Galápagos Islands and California. The Blue-footed Booby is strictly a marine bird. Their only need for land is to breed, which they do along rocky coasts.
Conservation
The blue-footed booby is legally protected on the Galapagos Islands, where breeding pairs number under 20,000. The other populations around the world (numbering about 20,000 total) are slightly threatened by egg collectors.
The blue-footed booby is legally protected on the Galapagos Islands, where breeding pairs number under 20,000. The other populations around the world (numbering about 20,000 total) are slightly threatened by egg collectors.
Reproduction
The courtship of the Blue-footed Booby consists of the male flaunting his blue feet and dancing to impress the female. During the dance, the male will spread his wings and stamp his feet on the ground. The Blue-footed Booby is a monogamous animal although they do have the potential to be bigamous. They reunite at their breeding grounds. The breeding cycle of the booby is every 8 to 9 months. When mating, the female parades and the male points his head and tail high to the sky and his wings back to show off to the female. The male Blue-footed Booby also makes a high-piping whistle noise. Males do a dance to attract the females. The dance includes the males lifting their blue feet high and throwing their heads up. The blue-footed booby is not a seasonally reproducing species. They are opportunistic breeders.
Blue-footed Booby with egg and new young.The female Blue-footed Booby lays two or three eggs. Both male and female take turns incubating the eggs, while the non-sitting bird keeps watch. Since the Blue-footed Booby does not have a brooding patch (a patch of bare skin on the underbelly), it uses its feet to keep the eggs warm. The chicks cannot control their body temperature up until about one month old. Eggs are laid about five days apart. Blue-foots are one of only two species of booby that raise more than one chick. This may be because of the males specialized diving in shallow waters. They must be fed frequently, so the adults constantly hunt for fish. The chicks feed off the regurgitated fish in the adult's mouth. If the parent Blue-footed Booby does not have enough food for all of the chicks, it will only feed the biggest chick, ensuring that at least one will survive. Boobies may use and defend two or three nesting sites until they develop a preference a few weeks before the eggs are laid. Usually two to three eggs are laid, and one to two chicks are hatched. The incubation period is 41–45 days. They nest on bare black lava in a small dip in the ground. The female will turn to face the sun throughout the day, so the nest is surrounded by excretion. These nests are done in large colonies. The male and female share quite a bit of their responsibilities. The male will provide food for the young in the first part of their life because of his specialized diving. The female will take over when the demand is higher.
The courtship of the Blue-footed Booby consists of the male flaunting his blue feet and dancing to impress the female. During the dance, the male will spread his wings and stamp his feet on the ground. The Blue-footed Booby is a monogamous animal although they do have the potential to be bigamous. They reunite at their breeding grounds. The breeding cycle of the booby is every 8 to 9 months. When mating, the female parades and the male points his head and tail high to the sky and his wings back to show off to the female. The male Blue-footed Booby also makes a high-piping whistle noise. Males do a dance to attract the females. The dance includes the males lifting their blue feet high and throwing their heads up. The blue-footed booby is not a seasonally reproducing species. They are opportunistic breeders.
Blue-footed Booby with egg and new young.The female Blue-footed Booby lays two or three eggs. Both male and female take turns incubating the eggs, while the non-sitting bird keeps watch. Since the Blue-footed Booby does not have a brooding patch (a patch of bare skin on the underbelly), it uses its feet to keep the eggs warm. The chicks cannot control their body temperature up until about one month old. Eggs are laid about five days apart. Blue-foots are one of only two species of booby that raise more than one chick. This may be because of the males specialized diving in shallow waters. They must be fed frequently, so the adults constantly hunt for fish. The chicks feed off the regurgitated fish in the adult's mouth. If the parent Blue-footed Booby does not have enough food for all of the chicks, it will only feed the biggest chick, ensuring that at least one will survive. Boobies may use and defend two or three nesting sites until they develop a preference a few weeks before the eggs are laid. Usually two to three eggs are laid, and one to two chicks are hatched. The incubation period is 41–45 days. They nest on bare black lava in a small dip in the ground. The female will turn to face the sun throughout the day, so the nest is surrounded by excretion. These nests are done in large colonies. The male and female share quite a bit of their responsibilities. The male will provide food for the young in the first part of their life because of his specialized diving. The female will take over when the demand is higher.
