Family: Sulidae, Boobies and Gannets view all from this family

Description 32" (81 cm). A stocky white seabird with black tail, black tips and trailing edges to the wings, and stout pinkish or orange bill. In breeding season, birds have patch of bare, bluish skin at base of bill. Northern Gannet similar but larger, with only wing tips black.

Habitat Tropical seas.

Nesting 2 chalky, pale blue eggs in a shallow depression on the ground. Nests in colonies.

Range Breeds in Bahamas and West Indies, and on other islands in tropical Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. A rare visitor to coasts of Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, and in Gulf Stream to Carolinas.

Voice Usually silent; a variety of hissing and quacking notes on breeding grounds.

Discussion Like many birds that nest on remote oceanic islands, boobies have little fear of humans. Because of their tameness they were easily killed for food by early mariners, who gave them their name (from the Spanish bobo, "stupid") for this reason. Boobies obtain their prey in spectacular plunges from the air into the sea. Principal foods include flying fish and squid; boobies are seldom found in areas where these marine creatures are not plentiful.