Birds · Suliformes · Sulidae

Red-footed Booby

Sula sula

Least Concern

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

The red-footed booby is the smallest of the boobies and the only one that nests in trees and shrubs rather than on the ground. It has intensely red feet and a wide range of colour morphs, from wholly white to uniform brown, living side by side in the same colonies. It is the most pelagic of the boobies: it ranges hundreds of kilometres from the colony and often hunts in association with tuna and dolphins.

Weight

928 g – 1.1 kg

Size

66 cm – 77 cm

Lifespan

23 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanIslandsCarnivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Ocean Islands

70countries 15parks 1dive sites8same family

Fun facts

It is the only booby that nests in trees: it builds a nest of twigs in mangroves and shrubs, while its relatives lay their eggs directly on the ground.
It hunts by making use of tuna: the tuna shoals drive small fish towards the surface and the booby plunges onto them, an association on which much of its catch depends.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Tropical oceanic waters of every ocean; it breeds in mangroves and shrubs on remote islands
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 44 days
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sula_sula