Red-footed booby Sula sula

Identification Tips:

• Length: ? inches
• Sexes similar
• Pelagic bird only coming ashore to breed
• Large bird that dives for fish from air
• Takes 2 to 3 years to reach adult plumage
• Smallest booby

Adult-white morph

• White head, body and tail
• Dark primaries and outer secondaries
• Underwings white with dark border
• Large, gray, pointed bill
• Red legs and feet
• Pink at base of bill

Adult-dark morph

• Brown head and body
• Darker wings
• White rump, undertail coverts and tail
• Large, gray, pointed bill
• Red legs and feet
• Pink at base of bill

Immature

• Dark brown plumage
• Dark feet

Similar species:

The Red-footed Booby is smaller and faster-flying than the other boobies. Adults have diagnostic red feet and pink-based bills. When flying, adults of the white morph are similar to the Masked Booby but have white tails (usually) and white inner secondaries. The combination of the brown body plumage and the white rump and tail is characteristic of the dark morph Red-footed Booby. Immature Red-footed Boobies are obviously darker than all but the immature Brown Booby but lack the underwing pattern and breast demarcation line.

Length and wingspan from: Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc.