Blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii)
The blue-footed booby appeared on my screen recently, so I had to investigate it.
The name booby derives from bobo, the Spanish word for clown because, like many seabirds, the booby is ungainly on land. Bobo also means foolish, because the bird shows no fear of man, a potential threat.
It is found along the coast from California to Peru and especially in the Galapagos Islands. It comes ashore to mate, lay eggs and rear its young.
An adult booby is almost three feet long with a wingspan of five feet, and may live for seventeen years. The blue colouration of their feet is provided through their fishy diet and indicates their overall health. The brighter the colour, the healthier and stronger the bird.
Young birds have paler blue feet than adults and females have the most concentrated hue. The feet are important in the mating rituals. Males look for females with bright feet because they indicate youth. good health, and fertility. Females favour younger males, who have brighter feet. As birds age, so the colour of their feet fades.
The mating dance involves both sexes, the male displaying his feet with an exaggerated gait of wider and higher step, while male and female lift their beaks skywards and spread their wings.
After the clutch of two or three eggs is laid on bare ground, both parents take turns to incubate the eggs, using their feet to keep them warm.
There are three recognised collective nouns for boobies – a hatch, a trap, or a congress.
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the blue-footed booby as being of ‘least concern.’
The blue footed booby is the most extraordinary bird, colour wise. Beautiful but unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteIt is original!
DeleteWhat an interesting bird....one I have never heard of, but so unique! They seem to be fascinating birds.
ReplyDeleteThey're wonderful.
DeleteI wonder if people assume they're ai. They're such unlikely looking birds.
ReplyDeleteAI would have gone even further, I think.
DeleteThey are indeed quite amazing birds.
ReplyDeleteI was amused at the thought of them keeping the eggs warm with their feet. They don't have a brood pouch as penguins do.
DeleteI have heard of these but never bothered to look them up. I had no idea they were so large! I love the feet, it's my favourite shade of blue. They do look like they all followed each other through a puddle of paint though.
ReplyDeleteThey do look rather funny.
DeleteI’ve some across them before but didn’t realize that they were so large.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at the size of them, too, but then I was surprised to find that puffins were much smaller than I thought, so I'm no judge. 🙁
DeleteWhat lovely birds. Lovely coloured feet and I like their mating story. I've never heard of them before
ReplyDeleteI've never seen them in the flesh, but they are fascinating.
DeleteWhen you first look at their feet they look like they have stepped into blue paint, I just wonder if the Booby sees the same. Their tameness is a bit like the extinct Dodo.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking that they were lucky not to have had the same fate as the poor Dodo.
DeleteNature never ceases to amaze. Such a lovely colour!
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised there isn't a paint called Booby Blue!
DeleteI have heard of them, it's a name you remember, but never seen one before.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen one in the flesh.
DeleteI rarely take my socks off because my feet glow bright blue. They call me the booby prize.
ReplyDeletePoor circulation . . . be careful they don't turn purple.
DeleteThey are a very unique looking bird with those blue feet. Thanks for all the info on them
ReplyDeleteIt's such a bright blue - can't miss it!
DeleteWho doesn't love a blue-footed booby?
ReplyDeleteIndeed!
DeleteI have never heard of these or seen them. How pretty they are with their blue feet..
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful.
DeleteI lived in California for many years and heard about these blue feet but never got to see one in person.
ReplyDeleteYou weren't trying hard enough, clearly . . . 🤣😂
DeleteIf it had been April the 1st I'd have thought you were playing a prank 😀
ReplyDeleteThanks for teaching me something today.
Alison in Devon x
Me? Tease you? Never!
DeleteThose bright blue feet have always struck me as odd.
ReplyDeleteThey're not made for camouflage, it's true.
DeleteInteresting. Since the namers were specific about the color of the feet, do boobys (boobies seems naughty) feet come in other colors? Red footed Boobys? 😉😺
ReplyDeleteBooby does sound naughty. See tomorrow's post!
DeleteI'd never heard of the bird until it appeared on my screen too. What a funny looking bird, though. Those blue feet do look quite unreal! xxx
ReplyDeletefascinating feet
ReplyDeleteThey are extraordinary looking birds with those bright blue feet. They have red footed boobies too don't they? Thanks for another very interesting post.
ReplyDeleteThey sure are cute and colorful.
ReplyDelete