General
Red-footed Booby: Smallest booby; long tail and large eyes. White-morph has white head, body and tail. Some have black tail, others have white tail; dark upperwing and saddle, pale blue face has pink-base and pale blue bill. Flight feathers are black. Legs and feet are bright red. Brown morph is tan to chocolate-brown with darker flight feathers; most pale on head, neck and underparts. Sexes are similar. Juvenile resembles adult brown morph, paler foreneck and belly, diffused pectoral band; pink-gray legs and feet.
Range and Habitat
Red-footed Booby: Breeds on tropical islands worldwide, including the West Indies, Galapagos, and throughout the Indian Ocean. Individuals are known to stray to Dry Tortugas off Florida, and they occur accidentally off Gulf and California coasts. This species is pelagic, only coming ashore to breed.
Breeding and Nesting
Red-footed Booby: One chalky white egg is laid in a loose nest made of sticks and twigs, built in a tree, shrubs, or thick grass tufts. Incubation ranges from 43 to 49 days and is carried out by both parents.
Foraging and Feeding
Red-footed Booby: Their diet includes squid and flying fish, crustaceans and other fish. They plunge dive vertically for most food in deep waters and sometimes catch flying fish in the air. Sometimes they make oblique, shallow surface dives, or sit on the water to grab prey at the surface. They feed singly or in flocks, numbering a few to several hundred.
Vocalization
Red-footed Booby: Call is a harsh, raspy "rah-rah-rah," which is usually emitted when an individual is returning to its nesting colony.
Similar Species
Red-footed Booby: Masked Booby has black tail, black inner secondaries, dark facial skin, and gray legs.