Red-Footed Booby

Sula sula

The Red-Footed Booby is the smallest of the six Booby species, and can be found living near tropical and subtropical oceans around the world. They are non-migratory birds, though they can fly as far as 90 miles (144km) from their roosts to find food in the oceans!

Red-Footed Boobies eats fish, and lots of it! Flying Fish are one of their favorite meals, and they hunt by plunging downward and grabbing their prey from the air or just under the surface. They do not carry their food home; it gets swallowed before the flight back.

Though all the birds have the characteristic red feet, Red-Footed Boobies come in a wide variety of colors. Some are white with dark wings, some are dark brown, and some are all white. And those are only a few combinations! Interestingly, the colors do not seem to be specific to any colony or area, and birds of different colors can be found roosting together.

The Red-Footed Booby is currently listed as being of least concern, but habitat loss and overfishing are potential threats to the species.

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IUCN Status :  Least Concern

Location : Near Tropical and Subtropical Oceans

Size : Wingspan up to 3.3ft (1m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Pelecaniformes
Family : Sulidae -- Genus : Sula -- Species : S. sula