Red-footed Booby

Red-footed Booby

Taxobox
name = Red-footed Booby
status = LC
status_system = iucn3.1
status_ref =


image_caption = Brown morph
image_width = 240px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Pelecaniformes
familia = Sulidae
genus = "Sula"
species = "S. sula"
binomial = "Sula sula"
binomial_authority = (Linnaeus, 1766)
synonyms ="Sula piscator"

The Red-footed Booby, "Sula sula", is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. They are powerful and agile fliers, but they are clumsy in takeoffs and landings.

Description

The Red-footed Booby is the smallest of all boobies at 71 cm in length and with a 137 cm wingspan. It has red legs, and its bill and throat pouch are coloured pink and blue. This species has two plumage forms. The white phase is mostly white with black on the flight feathers. The brown form is brown with a white belly, rump, and tail. Both forms may occur sympatrically, as in the breeding colony on St. Giles Island, Tobago.

The sexes are similar, and young birds are greyish with browner wings and pink legs.

Breeding

This species breeds on islands in most tropical oceans. It winters at sea, and is therefore rarely seen away from breeding colonies. It nests in large colonies, laying one chalky blue egg in a stick nest in a tree, which is incubated by both adults for 44-46 days. It may be three months before the young first fly, and five months before they make extensive flights.

Red-footed Booby pairs may remain together over several seasons. They perform elaborate greeting rituals, including harsh squawks and the male’s display of his blue throat.

Diet

Red-footed Boobies are spectacular divers, plunging into the ocean at high speeds to catch prey. They mainly eat small fish or squid which gather in groups near the surface.

Gallery

References

* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
*cite book
last = Harrison
first = Peter
title = Seabirds of the World
year = 1996
publisher = Princeton University Press
location = Princeton
isbn = 0-691-01551-1
* Hilty. "Birds of Venezuela". ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
*cite book
last = ffrench
first = Richard
title = A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago
edition = 2nd edition
year = 1991
publisher = Comstock Publishing
isbn = 0-8014-9792-2


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • red-footed booby — Booby Boo by (b[=oo] b[y^]), n.; pl. {Boobies} ( b[i^]z). [Sp. bobo dunce, idiot; cf. L. balbus stammering, E. barbarous.] [1913 Webster] 1. A dunce; a stupid fellow. [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) (a) A swimming bird ({Sula fiber} or {Sula sula})… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Red-footed Booby — padūkėlis statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Sula Bassanus angl. Red footed Booby vok. Basstölpel …   Paukščių anatomijos terminai

  • red-footed booby — raudonkojis padūkėlis statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Sula sula angl. red footed booby vok. Rotfußtölpel, m rus. красноногая олуша, f pranc. fou à pieds rouges, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – padūkėliai …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • red-footed booby — ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ noun also redfoot ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ (plural red footed boobies also redfoots) : a booby (Sula piscator) of the coasts of Central America and southern No. America …   Useful english dictionary

  • Red-footed — may refer to:* Red footed Booby, seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae * Red footed Falcon, bird of prey * Red footed Plumeleteer, large hummingbird that is a resident breeder from eastern Honduras to northwestern Ecuador * Red footed tortoise,… …   Wikipedia

  • blue-footed booby — Booby Boo by (b[=oo] b[y^]), n.; pl. {Boobies} ( b[i^]z). [Sp. bobo dunce, idiot; cf. L. balbus stammering, E. barbarous.] [1913 Webster] 1. A dunce; a stupid fellow. [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) (a) A swimming bird ({Sula fiber} or {Sula sula})… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Blue-footed Booby — Taxobox name = Blue footed Booby status = LC status system = iucn3.1 image width = 250px regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Pelecaniformes familia = Sulidae genus = Sula species = S. nebouxii binomial = Sula nebouxii… …   Wikipedia

  • Booby — Boo by (b[=oo] b[y^]), n.; pl. {Boobies} ( b[i^]z). [Sp. bobo dunce, idiot; cf. L. balbus stammering, E. barbarous.] [1913 Webster] 1. A dunce; a stupid fellow. [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) (a) A swimming bird ({Sula fiber} or {Sula sula})… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Booby hatch — Booby Boo by (b[=oo] b[y^]), n.; pl. {Boobies} ( b[i^]z). [Sp. bobo dunce, idiot; cf. L. balbus stammering, E. barbarous.] [1913 Webster] 1. A dunce; a stupid fellow. [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) (a) A swimming bird ({Sula fiber} or {Sula sula})… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Booby hut — Booby Boo by (b[=oo] b[y^]), n.; pl. {Boobies} ( b[i^]z). [Sp. bobo dunce, idiot; cf. L. balbus stammering, E. barbarous.] [1913 Webster] 1. A dunce; a stupid fellow. [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) (a) A swimming bird ({Sula fiber} or {Sula sula})… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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