Booby

For other uses, see Booby (disambiguation)}}}.

Red-footed Booby on Palmyra Atoll.

The boobies are part of the family Sulidae, a group of seabirds closely related to gannets.

Five of the six booby species are in the genus Sula, with the sixth recently given its own genus Papasula, while the three gannets are usually treated in the genus Morus; many authorities consider that all nine species should be considered congeneric, in Sula.

The boobies are large birds with long pointed wings and long bills. They hunt fish by diving from a height into the sea and pursuing their prey underwater. They have facial air sacs under their skin which cushion the impact with the water.

These are colonial breeders on islands and coasts, which normally lay one or more chalky blue eggs on the ground or sometimes in a tree nest. Their name is possibly based on the Spanish slang term bubi, meaning "dunce", as these tame birds had a habit of landing on board sailing ships where they were easily captured and eaten.

Boobies are reported to have been caught and eaten by Captain Bligh of HMAV Bounty and his loyalists during their famous voyage after being set adrift by Fletcher Christian and his mutineers.

Species

Genus Papasula
* Abbott's Booby Papasula abbotti or Sula abbotti
Genus Sula
* Blue-footed Booby Sula nebouxii
* Peruvian Booby Sula variegata
* Masked Booby Sula dactylatra
* Nazca Booby, Sula granti
* Tasman Booby, Sula tasmani (extinct)
* Red-footed Booby Sula sula
* Brown Booby Sula leucogaster

References

BirdLife International (2006) Species factsheet: Sula tasmani. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 11/5/2006
BirdLife International 2006. Sula tasmani. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Downloaded on 11 May 2006 [link].

External links

ARKive - [images and movies of the Abbott's booby (Papasula abbotti)]
[Booby videos] on the Internet Bird Collection

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