Booby Bird

 

Animals Unique | Booby Bird | The booby is a large species of sea-bird closely related to the Gannet. Their Boobies spend lives at sea hunting fish and are found on the east coast of Central and South America, and across the tropical islands of the South Pacific as far west as the Galapagos islands. The booby is the most commonly found sea-bird on the Galapagos islands.

There are six different species of booby found nesting on the tropical and subtropical islands and continental Coasts across the south eastern Pacific Ocean, although fossil evidence Suggests That there were Numerous species of booby That are now extinct and are believed to inhabited regions as far east asEurope.

The different species of booby are all very similar in size and appearance but each species of booby Appears to have it's own Uniquely distinguishable features. The different species of booby are the blue-footed booby, the red-footed booby, the brown booby, the Peruvian booby, masked booby and the Nazca booby the.

 

The blue-footed booby is the most well known species of booby and is most commonly found on the Galapagos islands and Ecuador. The blue-footed booby is the second largest of the booby species and is identifiable by it's bright blue feet. The female blue-footed booby is slightly larger than Generally the male blue-footed booby and the female blue-footed booby has also brightly colored feet more than the male blue-footed booby, as the male's feet are paler. The young blue-footed booby has also colored pale feet which (particularly in Females) Becomes brighter as the booby gets older.

 

The red-footed booby is slightly smaller than the blue-footed booby but the red-footed booby is known to have a Wider range from the Galapagos islands to the Caribbean. As the name Suggests, the re-footed booby has bright, red feet are a pinkish color That when the re-footed booby is young. Although the re-footed booby is known to be an agile flyer, the red-footed booby can be Clumsy when taking off and landing. The red-footed booby can dive through the sky to the surface of the water to catch fish at speeds of up to 60 mph.

The brown booby is around half the size of the blue-footed booby and is found in the Caribbean Sea and in the Gulf Of Mexico. The brown booby has a black head and back and a white belly, short wings and a long tail. The brown booby in a large colony breeds on coastal islands and is known to spend the winter at sea, covering a larger area. As with other species of booby, the brown booby is incredible at diving.

 

 

The Peruvian booby is native to Peru and parts of Chilli and is not as elaborate in appearance of the other booby species. The Peruvian booby is the second most common sea-bird found in Peru and is also the second biggest sea-bird guano That Produces in the country. Guano is the excrement the which is Produces by sea-birds, bats and seals, the which has high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and so is used to the make fertilizer and Gunpowder.

 

The masked booby is distinguishable by the black color around it's eyes. The masked booby That has an enormous range stretches from the Caribbean islands right across to Australia. The masked booby is the largest species of booby in the world and can grow to nearly a metre in height. The masked booby feeds primarily on flying fish and squid.

The Nazca booby is found on islands in the eastern Pacific Ocean and is one of the most favorable birds on the Galapagos islands for eco-tourists to spot. The Nazca booby has a more rounded head than the other species of booby and is believed to be most closely related to the masked booby. The Nazca booby has a white body and a beak is yellow or orange That in color.

 

The booby is rarely found in regions where it can not nest apart from Those species of booby That purposefully spend the winter at sea (like the brown booby). Typically, the booby will have the same mating partner for a few years and the booby has been known to lay it's eggs all year round, although this is quite dependent on the area of ​​the which the booby inhabits. The booby lays Between 1 and 3 eggs (usually 2), and the booby chicks hatch after an incubation period of 4 to 5 weeks.

Due to it's large size and the areas in the which it inhabits. The booby has few natural predators. The main predators of the booby Owls are birds of prey and large That steals the booby chicks, but the adult is far to big booby for another bird to eat. The human is the main predator of the enormous booby adult, and occasionally the odd shark.

Booby Bird Facts
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Sulidae
Genus: Sula
Scientific Name: Sula Nebouxii
Type: Bird
Diet: Carnivore
Size (H): 64cm - 91cm (25in - 36in)
Wing Span: 130cm - 155cm (51in - 61in)
Weight: 0.9kg-1.8kg (2lbs - 3.9lbs)
Top Speed: 97km / h (60mph)
Life Span: 12-17 years
Lifestyle: Flock
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Colour: Brown, Black, White, Grey
Skin Type: Feathers
Favourite Food: Flying Fish
Habitat: Subtropical and tropical islands
Average Clutch Size: 2
Main Prey: Flying Fish, Sardines, anchovies, squid
Predators: Human, Owls, Birds Of Prey
Distinctive Features: Large body size and brightly colored feet