Red-Footed Booby in Galápagos: Facts and Where to See It

Red-footed boobies come in several colour forms. The brown form, the one seen most in Galápagos, is brown with a white belly, rump and tail. The white form is white with black flight feathers, and a black-tailed white form is easily confused with the Nazca and masked boobies. Young birds are brown or blackish-grey with a black bill and grey legs.

• Nests in trees. Unlike other boobies, they nest on top of shrubs and small trees, on twigs and sticks the male collects. Longer toes than other boobies help them grip the branches.
• Skypointing. A male courts a female by throwing back his head until the bill points straight up.
• One egg. Both parents incubate it for about 45 days, and the chick fledges at around three months. A pair usually lays only once every 15 months.

Red-footed boobies are found across the tropical and subtropical Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are strong flyers and travel up to 90 miles, about 145 km, to forage. Long bills, streamlined bodies and wings that wrap around the body let them dive after fish spotted from above, flying fish above all, and they also dive at night for schooling squid. In Galápagos they nest mainly on Genovesa and San Cristóbal, in large, noisy colonies.

Guide sighting records list red-footed boobies at 5 visitor sites. 2 are rated Likely, both on Genovesa: Darwin Bay, where the guides note them nesting in trees, and Prince Philip's Steps. Punta Pitt on San Cristóbal and the waters off Wolf are rated Possible, and Baroness Lookout on Floreana Rare.

Red-footed boobies are in Galápagos all year. They are easiest to see while nesting, between late January and September, when the colonies are full. In the next twelve months, 504 departures stop at a site where they are seen.

No, it is listed as Least Concern. In Galápagos, though, numbers have fallen in the past: the El Niño of 1998 cut their food supply and hit the population hard. Invasive species prey on eggs and chicks or damage the trees and shrubs they nest in. Park rules keep visitors at least 2 metres (6 feet) from wildlife and on marked trails.

1. Leaving out Genovesa. Both Likely sites are on Genovesa; most other routes see red-footed boobies only by chance.
2. Looking on the ground. Unlike blue-footed and Nazca boobies, they nest in trees.
3. Expecting red feet on every bird. Young birds have grey legs.
4. Leaning into the bushes. Keep the 2-metre distance from nesting birds.