Photo: Andreas Trepte / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Least Concern

Seabirds & Tubenoses

Brown Booby

Sula leucogaster

Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) — Seabirds & Tubenoses of Oceans & Seabirds.

Field guide · LocationsWhere to see this bird

Found across 10 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.

Regional checklists

Birds of Australia Birds of Canada Birds of the United Kingdom Birds of the United States Birds of New South Wales Birds of Northern Territory Birds of Queensland Birds of Tasmania Birds of Victoria Birds of Western Australia

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The Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) is a member of the Sulidae family found in Oceans & Seabirds. Adults weigh 1.3 kg. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

Conservation status

IUCN Red List

LC Least Concern

Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.

Where it fits

Class Aves
Order Suliformes
Family Sulidae Gannets, Boobies
Genus Sula
Species leucogaster

Where it lives

TrO widespread tropical and subtropical ocean islands

Oceans & Seabirds

Quick facts

Weight: 1.3 kg
Diet: Aquatic hunters
Family: Sulidae
Order: Suliformes
Habitat: Wetland, lake & coast

How to identify

Similar birds

Least Concern

Biology & behaviour

Diet

The Brown Booby hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.

Behaviour

A bird of open sea and coastal waters, it is highly aerial, spending much of its time on the wing.

Migration

The Brown Booby is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.

The Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) is a member of the Sulidae family, within the order Suliformes. It occurs naturally across Oceans & Seabirds. Its distribution covers TrO widespread tropical and subtropical ocean islands.

It is a very large bird. Adults weighs around 1.3 kg, with a wing length of about 38.9 cm and a tail of around 20.4 cm.

The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.

The species has a mapped global range of roughly 26.8 million km² — a very large global range.

Songs & calls

Brown Booby — Call

Recorded by JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How big is the Brown Booby?

The Brown Booby is a very large bird that weighs around 1.3 kg.

Where does the Brown Booby live?

The Brown Booby is found across Oceans & Seabirds with a range covering TrO widespread tropical and subtropical ocean islands, where it is associated with wetlands, lakes and other open water.

What family does the Brown Booby belong to?

The Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) belongs to the Sulidae family, in the order Suliformes.

What does the Brown Booby eat?

The Brown Booby hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.

Does the Brown Booby migrate?

The Brown Booby is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.

Is the Brown Booby endangered?

The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.

What sound does the Brown Booby make?

1 real field recording of the Brown Booby — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.

How large is the Brown Booby's range?

The Brown Booby has a mapped global range of about 26.8 million km².