Red Footed Booby

  • Galapagos Wildlife: Red Footed Booby © Chris Hall

    Red Footed Booby © Chris Hall

  • Galapagos Wildlife: Red Footed Booby © Mike Sheperd

    Red Footed Booby © Mike Sheperd

  • Galapagos Wildlife: Red Footed Booby © Vanessa Green

    Red Footed Booby © Vanessa Green

Species Data

Common Name Red footed booby
Scientific Name Sula sula
Spanish Name Piquero patas rojas
Conservation Status

Galapagos Graphics: IUCN Red List Least Concern © Dan Wright

Least Concern

Endemic/Native/Introduced

Native

Size 66 to 76 cm length, 91 – 101cm wingspan
Average Lifespan Up to 20 years
Predators As chicks, owls and hawks are potential predators
Food Piscivore (fish, flying fish and squid)
Animal Class Bird

Species Overview

 The red footed booby is a unique bird species most noticeable because of its bright red webbed feet, being the smallest of all the boobies. The name booby comes from the Spanish word ‘bobo’ meaning ‘fool’ due to the bird’s clumsiness on land. However, they are excellent fliers spending most their life at sea. They are the only booby to construct a twig nest n the trees and shrubs. They only lay a single egg every 15 months, with both parents raising that chick.

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