Family: Sulidae, Boobies and Gannets view all from this family
Description 32-34" (81-86 cm). Large seabird with long pointed bill, wings, and tail. Head and neck pale, streaked brown. Wings, back, and tail dark brown; white patches on nape and rump; underparts white. Legs and feet bright blue. Back and rump of immatures slightly mottled. Brown Booby lacks white patches on nape and rump; its feet are yellow or greenish yellow.
Habitat Open sea.
Nesting 2 or 3 chalky pale blue or green eggs laid on the ground. Usually nests in colonies on islands or isolated cliffs.
Range Breeds from Gulf of California south to Peru. In summer, a few stray to Salton Sea in southeastern California or, infrequently, to southern California coast.
Voice Usually silent; trumpeting and whistling noises on breeding grounds.
Discussion Boobies fly fairly high over the ocean with steady, rapid, even strokes, followed by a short glide. When fishing, Blue-footed Boobies plunge headlong into the water with wings partly folded; they sometimes snatch flying fish out of the air.
