Blue Footed Booby

Blue Footed Booby Facts

• The distinctive Blue Footed Booby is a rather remarkable marine bird in the family Sulidae. This family holds a total of ten species of seabirds. Many of these also display unique blue feet.
• In addition, the males use those brilliant feet as a rather important display during mating rituals. However, regardless of its appearance, its behavior certainly isn’t as brilliant as the color of its feet.
• The origin of the generic name booby presumably comes from the Spanish word for stupid. In ancient times, the various species became popular for a specific habit. Many often landed on the decks of sailing vessels, where hungry sailors easily captured and ate them.
• The Blue Footed Booby has brilliant blue feet important for their mating rituals but is not the smartest of birds.Click To Tweet

Related Articles

                           

Golden Pheasant                  Shoebill                        Arctic Tern

Blue Footed Booby Physical Description

The truly interesting Blue Footed Booby also displays sexual dimorphism in two ways. Firstly, the blue coloring of the feet develops much brighter on the males. Secondly, the females also grow slightly larger in size.

In addition, an overall average wingspan for this seabird is about 32 in (81 cm). However, exceptional individuals sometimes grow larger. Further, the wings of some individuals also grow highly pointed in shape.

Also, the majority of the body primarily appears white. However, the neck and head typically have light brown or tan streaks. Yet the wings generally show various shades of brown.

Finally, another interesting feature of this remarkable bird is the eyes. That’s because these most commonly present a distinctive and remarkable yellow. This trait sets it apart from related avian species.

Blue Footed Booby Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology

Firstly, the Blue Footed Booby evolved as a strictly  marine bird. Therefore, it only needs land for breeding and nesting. This usually happens in large colonies. It typically constructs its nest amid the rocks of shorelines.

Further, this fascinating avian appears to have evolved as native to the region of the eastern Pacific Ocean. But, within that range, it nests on both the various tropical and subtropical islands.

In fact, the colorful bird may live across a territory ranging from the Gulf of California, in North America, to Peru. Additionally, roughly half of all pairs of the Blue Footed Booby seem to mate and nest on the Galapagos Islands.

Breeding also occurs every 8-9 months, yet only 1-3 eggs are laid. Finally, the diet consists almost entirely of fish. Individuals feed by diving, and sometimes even swimming, beneath the surface of the ocean to catch prey.

Species Sharing Its Range

                              

 Marine Iguana                    Lava Cactus               Pinta Island Tortoise

Check out our other articles on Incredible Sharks of the World, Korean Fir, Gocta Cataracts, Red Veined Darter, Polar Bear, Black Rain Frog, Yosemite Cave Pseudoscorpion