They Have The Name Booby for A Reason

Just what is a Booby, and what’s in the name? Watch to find out.

The Galapagos Islands host a wide variety of unique and stunning wildlife. The Blue-footed Booby is no exception. As shown in this series of photographs in the photo video album, the Blue-footed Booby is exceptionally beautiful and a delight to see. With their brightly colored feet, blue-footed boobies are among the most easily recognizable birds on the Galapagos Islands. The vibrant blue color of their feet makes them simple to identify. This blue hue results from pigments they obtain through their diet. These pigments, known as carotenoids, are found in various types of fish.

The name “boobies” was inspired by the Spanish term “bobo,” which means stupid. The Boobies may not be stupid, but these Galápagos residents show no fear of humans, especially when they are photographed. The Boobies are always putting on a show, allowing photographers to capture them in their natural habitat.

Blue-footed boobies tend to be relatively passive and helpless when facing potential threats.

A Blue Footed Booby on A Rock Formation in The Galapagos. See more.

Like their feet, Blue-footed Boobies’ freshly laid eggs are pale blue. They soon turn white and become easier for predators to see. The Blue-footed Booby does not build a nest but lays its eggs on bare ground. The incubating birds defecate while on the nest, and the eggs are surrounded by a circular wall of excrement.

Blue-footed boobies dive into ocean waters to catch prey. As shown in these photos, young boobies learn to catch fish by their parents tossing sticks into the air for them to catch. It is a booby game of catch.

Fresh fish make up most of a blue-footed booby’s diet. Usually hunting in groups, these boobies can dive into schools of fish from heights as high as 100 feet and catch flying fish mid-air (hence the game of catch with their young). They also feed on sardines, anchovies, mackerel, and sometimes squid and offal. With air sacs that protect their brains from the pressure, blue-footed boobies can go 80 feet below the water surface to hunt.

To female boobies, the bluer a male’s feet, the stronger and more fertile he is.

Blue-footed boobies communicate with grunts and whistles that can be sharp and have multiple syllables. Both males and females can distinguish their mates' calls from those of other birds.

There are also red-footed boobies, brown boobies, masked boobies, Nazca boobies, and Peruvian boobies.

Of course, the blue-footed booby is the bird featured in this PhotoBlogger video photo documentary.

Baby Boobies catch sticks to practice hunting. See more.

There you go, the amazing Blue-Footed Booby.