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Blue-footed Booby

Sula nebouxii

About

The Blue-footed Booby is famous for its vivid turquoise-blue feet, which play a central role in courtship. Males perform an elaborate high-stepping dance, lifting each blue foot in turn to display its color to prospective mates — the bluer the feet, the more attractive the male. About half the world's population breeds on the Galápagos Islands.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Wingspan

152 cm

Length

76–84 cm

Weight

1.5–2 kg

Ecology

Habitat

Rocky coasts, islands, open ocean of tropical eastern Pacific

Diet

Schooling fish (sardines, anchovies, mackerel, flying fish)

Distribution

Eastern Pacific — Galápagos Islands, western Mexico to Peru