The Galapagos Blue Footed Booby
The Galapagos Islands are home to so many unique and fascinating wildlife species, it’s hard to choose a favourite.
But it was the mysterious and comical Galapagos Blue Footed Booby that really caught our eye. Not just because of their striking bright blue feet but their comical mating antics, clumsy movements which are in total contrast their precision diving and fishing talents.
Such funny birds…
All of that aside they’re absolutely hilarious to watch both in the water and on land.
We just play anywhere…
I’m one of these people that can watch nature for hours… and the the Blue Footed Booby was a perfect subject, particularly entertaining and of course completely unafraid of us.
Everyday while cruising the Galapagos Islands we stumbled across these charismatic birds – literally. They stopped us in our tracks and all we could do is watch, laugh and take photos of course.
It’s June and of course so they’re mating and nesting which gave us lots of opportunities.
Although we saw them mostly on land they are a sea bird and extremely adept in the ocean which we found out one day when we were snorkeling…that story in a minute.
Galapagos Blue Footed Booby – what do they look like?
They’re an odd looking bird…apart from their large blue webbed feet, they are characterized by a long neck, sharp narrow bill and pale brown wings that span up to five feet. The bird’s facial skin has a bluish tinge, its chest and undersides are white, whilst the rest of its body are covered in shaggy brown and white feathers. The girls are bigger than the boys and you can usually tell by the dark ring around the eyes… on the other hand the boys are distinguished by their whistle…. Typical!
If you watch this video you’ll hear them, funnily enough she’s doing a pretty good job of ignoring him.
Blue Footed Boobies are way better at diving than walking…
Blue-footed boobies often appear rather comical and notoriously clumsy-looking on land but wait till you see them fly and dive into the water to go fishing. They catch their fish through a spectacular dive into the water from the air. As a social species they can often be found in flocks of up to 200 scouring the water for fish with their excellent binocular-style vision.
I’m just so pretty!
When the booby spots its prey it will plunge headfirst into the ocean from heights of up to 80 feet, honing in on its target with great force, speed and precision. Tilting downward at a near vertical angle, they hold their wings back against their streamlined body and use the air sacks in their skulls to protect against the impact.
While we didn’t see this in action we did spot a Booby with a large mouthful of oversized fish ( he bit of more than he could chew that’s for sure) while we were snorkeling. This was a highlight of our trip and for about 40 minutes we just bobbed up and down in the rough water along with the Pelican who was standing by for tit bits that he never got.
It felt like something out of National Geographic…
With their cigar shaped body, narrow wings and long pointed tail, these birds are remarkably agile in the water. The blue-footed species is especially well-adapted to the underwater world. Its swiftness means it can plunge into less than 2 feet of water, pulling out of a dive at remarkable speeds. They also have permanently closed nostrils and breathe through the corners of their mouth when above water.
Blue Footed Boobies elaborate Mating Rituals
Males produce a distinctive courtship act to attract females, consisting of high stepping, strutting and stamping as a way to flaunt his blue feet. This fancy footwork is combined with plenty of “sky pointing” (raising his bill up into the air), bopping around and high-pitched whistling. If the female is sufficiently impressed, she may join in with the dance ritual and touch him with her bill.
Kissing…
Witnessing a blue footed booby mating ritual is a definite highlight of any Galapagos trip, and we saw in all Espanola, San Cristobal and Isabela Islands.
Blue Footed Boobies – What’s with the Blue Feet?
Scientists have discovered that the blue color of the booby’s feet is the result of carotenoid pigments obtained from its fish diet. These carotenoids have an antioxidant effect and are thought to stimulate the bird’s immune function. The blue pigmentation is therefore a reliable indication of the bird’s overall health, namely its immunological state and level of nourishment. It has evolved the species to its current state of especially bright blue feet!
The perfect pair of lovers.
Nesting… covering the eggs with their blue webbed feet.
This is a good explanation for why females are attracted by the blue coloration. In fact, it’s highly likely that the female’s preference is for blue feet. Blue-footed booby’s distinctive feet also come in handy for raising their young. Boobies don’t construct traditional nests, instead laying their eggs on bare ground.
However, they do surround their nesting area in a ring of excrement to mark out their territory to others. The female lays one to three eggs at a time and great care is taken to raise the chicks, with both parents taking turns to feed and protect their offspring. Unlike most birds, boobies do not have a brooding patch (bare skin on their underbelly) to keep their eggs warm.
Instead they use their large webbed feet, which have an increased blood supply for up to a month after hatching, to ensure their young are kept well insulated.
What a great use for those blue webbed feet. Cool eh?
Seems there’s definitely a reason for this evolution…
Yes – I think the Blue Footed Booby was my favorite species in the Galapagos – or maybe it was it the Frigate Bird?