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The
Blue-footed Booby (Sula
nebouxii) is a bird in the Sulidae family which comprises
ten species of long-winged seabirds. This seabird is a very
tame bird and lacks the fear instinct that other birds have.
It is no larger than the size of a goose (about 3 to 4
pounds). The females are larger than the males.
The
name Booby comes from the Spanish word bobo, which means
"Stupid fellow." This is because the Blue-footed
Booby is known to be clumsy on the land.
The
natural breeding habitat of the Blue-footed Booby is arid,
tropical and subtropical islands off the Pacific coast of
South America from Peru to Mexico including, most famously,
the Galápagos Islands.
The
Blue-footed Booby's diet consists entirely of fish. The
birds dive into the ocean and swim
underwater in pursuit of their prey. The Blue-footed Booby
hunts in flocks. When the lead Booby sees a fish present in
the water, it will signal the rest of the group and they
will all dive together to catch the fish. Surprisingly, the
Booby does not like to eat the fish with the hunting group.
They prefer to eat by their lonesome. They eat in the early
morning and in the late afternoon.
The
courtship of the Booby consists of the male flaunting his
blue feet to impress the female. The female Booby will lay
two or three eggs. Both male and female would take turns
incubating the egg, while the other keeps a watch on its
surroundings. Since the Booby does not have a brooding
patch, a patch of bare skin on the underbelly, it uses its
feet to keep the eggs warm. The chicks cannot control their
body temperature up until about one month old, so they use
the adult's feet for warmth. They do this because the Booby
prefers to have a lot of space around its nest. The chicks
must be fed continually, so the adult males will constantly
hunt for fish. The chicks feed off the regurgitated fish in
the adult's mouth. If the parent Booby doesn't have enough
food for all of the chicks, he will only feed the biggest
chick, ensuring that at least one will survive.
The
boobies are part of the family Sulidae. This is a group of
seabirds which is closely related to the gannets. Five
of the six booby species are in the genus Sula, with the
sixth recently given its own genus Papasula, while the three
gannets are usually treated in the genus Morus; many
authorities consider that all nine species should be
considered congeneric, in Sula.
The
boobies are large birds with long pointed wings and long
bills. They hunt fish by diving from a height into the sea
and pursuing their prey underwater. They have facial air
sacs under their skin which cushion the impact with the
water.
These
are colonial breeders on islands and coasts, which normally
lay one or more chalky blue eggs on the ground or sometimes
in a tree nest.
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