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Blue-Footed Booby

Sula nebouxii

The blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) is a large seabird in the family Sulidae found on arid islands and coastal areas of the eastern Pacific Ocean, from Baja California (Mexico) to Peru, including the Galápagos Islands. Its vivid blue, webbed feet come from carotenoids obtained through its fish diet and are a key courtship signal; birds with more intensely blue feet tend to have greater mating success. Blue-footed boobies feed by plunge-diving for fish (often in groups), dropping from about 30 m (100 ft) and swimming as deep as about 25 m (80 ft); they have adaptations for diving, including permanently closed nostrils and a specialized air sac that helps protect them from impact and pressure. They nest in shallow ground depressions and typically lay 2–3 eggs; both parents incubate the eggs using their warm, blood-vessel-rich feet for about 41–45 days.

The blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) is a large seabird in the family Sulidae found on arid islands and coastal areas of the eastern Pacific Ocean, from Baja California (Mexico) to Peru, including the Galápagos Islands. Its vivid blue, webbed feet come from carotenoids obtained through its fish diet and are a key courtship signal; birds with more intensely blue feet tend to have greater mating success. Blue-footed boobies feed by plunge-diving for fish (often in groups), dropping from about 30 m (100 ft) and swimming as deep as about 25 m (80 ft); they have adaptations for diving, including permanently closed nostrils and a specialized air sac that helps protect them from impact and pressure. They nest in shallow ground depressions and typically lay 2–3 eggs; both parents incubate the eggs using their warm, blood-vessel-rich feet for about 41–45 days.