Red-footed Booby (Sula sula) lives in open tropical ocean across Pantropical. It feeds on fish and squid. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Red-footed Booby
- At about 70 cm in length and with a wingspan that can reach 152 cm, the red-footed booby is the smallest member of the booby and gannet family. This compact size is matched by a modest body mass; a study of 490 adults on Christmas Island recorded an average weight of 837 g. Being the tiniest of its relatives gives it a lighter frame for agile flight, while still retaining the powerful wing strokes typical of sulids.
- All adult red-footed boobies display vivid red feet, regardless of which of the several colour morphs they belong to. In addition to the scarlet legs, the bill and throat pouch are coloured pink and blue, providing a striking contrast to the varying plumage. This consistent leg colour makes the species easy to recognise in the field, even when the surrounding feathers range from white to brown.
- Red-footed boobies capture prey by diving straight down from heights of four to eight metres into the ocean, a plunge that lets them seize fish and squid below the surface. They also snatch flying fish while airborne, as shown by bird-borne video footage of the birds catching prey in the air. Foraging trips can cover hundreds of kilometres from their breeding islands and may last several days, allowing them to locate abundant schools of their preferred prey.
- A sleeping booby was killed by six coconut crabs over several hours while perched on a low branch. Another bird was seized near a crab burrow and dragged inside.
- Where usually 6000 pairs nested, only 30 pairs and about 60 pairs attempted breeding in 1982 and 1983 respectively. The colony shrank to just a few dozen pairs during those El Niño years.
Sources
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At a glance
RangePantropical
HabitatOpen tropical ocean
DietFish and squid
About the Red-footed Booby
As the Red-footed Booby takes to the skies, its sleek, brown form slices effortlessly through the warm, tropical air, its piercing gaze scanning the turquoise waters below for the flash of a schooling fish. With a fluid, almost languid motion, it tucks its wings and plunges into the depths, emerging moments later with a triumphant cry, its bright red feet gleaming like rubies in the sunlight. In this sun-kissed realm, the Red-footed Booby reigns supreme, a master of the ocean's bounty and a symbol of the untamed beauty that thrives on the wind-swept shores of the tropics.
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