Red-footed booby
Sula sula
Identification Tips:
- 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 phase
- 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 phase
- 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 phase 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 phase 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.