Birds · Suliformes · Sulidae

Blue-footed Booby

Sula nebouxii

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It has no brood patch, so it incubates its eggs by resting them on its striking blue feet, which carry an unusually rich blood supply.

Weight

up to 1.5 kg

Size

up to 83 cm

Lifespan

17 years

Diet

Piscivore

Feeds mainly on fish.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanIslandsPiscivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Ocean Islands

10countries 13parks 2dive sites8same family1featured routes

Fun facts

The deeper the blue of its feet — a colour produced by carotenoid pigments in its diet — the better its condition, and mates choose accordingly.
It eats small fish and squid caught by plunge-diving.
It lives on arid islands and rocky coasts of the tropical eastern Pacific, including the Galápagos.
reproducciónMales show off their bright blue feet in a courtship ritual of exaggerated high steps, and the intensity of the colour tells females about their health.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Arid islands and rocky coasts of the tropical eastern Pacific, from Mexico to northern Peru, including the Galápagos
Birth weight: Weight at hatching not found as a precise figure
Size at birth: Covered in white down at hatching
Sexual maturity: 1-6 years depending on sex and source (~3 years usually given)
Gestation / incubation: 41-45 days
Litter / clutch size: 2 to 3 eggs per clutch

Sources consulted: AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); NHPBS NatureWorks; Animal Diversity Web; Animalia.bio; MarineBio; The Animal Facts; PMC (El Niño survival study); Wikipedia (Blue-footed booby); Oiseaux-birds.com