Blue-footed Booby
Blue-footed Booby
Sula nebouxii
At a Glance
Often shown in documentaries about the Galapagos, where pairs bow and shuffle and show off their blue feet, the Blue-footed Booby also nests as far north as western Mexico. In some years, small numbers stray north into the southwestern United States, mainly to the Salton Sea, California.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Boobies and Gannets, Gull-like Birds
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Coasts and Shorelines, Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers, Open Ocean
Region
California, Southwest
Behavior
Flap/Glide, Soaring, Swimming
Population
90.000
Range & Identification
Description
32-34" (81-86 cm). Typical booby shape with heavy pointed bill, pointed tail, long wings. Looks dull at a distance, dark on wings, whitish below. White scaling on brown back; head finely streaked on adults, dingy on young birds. Feet blue, brightest on adults.
Size
About the size of a Heron
Color
Black, Blue, Brown, White
Wing Shape
Long, Narrow, Pointed, Swept, Tapered
Tail Shape
Pointed, Wedge-shaped
Songs and Calls
Usually silent; trumpeting and whistling noises on breeding grounds.
Call Pattern
Flat, Undulating
Call Type
Odd, Raucous
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