Every bird that upwards swings
Bears the Cross upon its wings

A John Mason Neale or Marcus Valerius Martial Quotation – atributed to both authors

Blue-footed Booby: Have you seen blue-foot lately?

Blue-footed Booby

The Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) is a bird in the Sulidae family which comprises ten species of long-winged seabirds.

The natural breeding habitat of the Blue-footed Booby is tropical and subtropical islands off the Pacific Ocean, most famously, the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.

The name booby comes from the Spanish term bobo, which means “stupid” or “fool”/”clown”. This is because the Blue-footed Booby is clumsy on the land, and (like other seabirds), they can be very tame and therefore easily captured, killed, and eaten by humans.

Identification Tips:
• Length: 26 inches Wingspan: 64 inches
• Sexes similar
• Pelagic bird only coming ashore to breed
• Large bird that dives for fish from air
• Takes 2 to 3 years to reach adult plumage

Adult
• Pale, streaked head
• Dark mantle with white patches on nape and rump
• White underparts
• Dark tail sometimes with white patch
• Large, dark, pointed bill
• Blue legs and feet

Immature
• Plumage similar to adult
• Underparts white with straight line between breast and belly

Similar species:

At close range, the blue legs and feet are diagnostic. Immature boobies of other species are very similar to Blue-footed Boobies. Northern Gannets tend to lack the white patches on the nape and rump but at a distance may be inseparable.

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.

The Blue-footed Booby’s diet consists entirely 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.