Photo: Benjamint444 / GFDL 1.2 (Wikimedia Commons)

Least Concern

Seabirds & Tubenoses

Blue-footed Booby

Sula nebouxii

Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) — 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 Canada Birds of Colombia Birds of Costa Rica Birds of Ecuador Birds of Mexico Birds of Peru Birds of the United States Birds of British Columbia Birds of Arizona Birds of California

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The Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) is a member of the Sulidae family found in Oceans & Seabirds. Adults weigh 1.5 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 nebouxii

Where it lives

East-central subtropical and tropical Pacific coast is. patchily from Gulf of California to northwestern Peru

Oceans & Seabirds

Quick facts

Weight: 1.5 kg
Diet: Aquatic hunters
Family: Sulidae
Order: Suliformes
Habitat: Wetland, lake & coast

How to identify

Similar birds

Least Concern

Biology & behaviour

Diet

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

The Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) is a species of bird in the Sulidae family, part of the order Suliformes. Its range spans Oceans & Seabirds. Its distribution covers PO ec subtropical and tropical Pacific coast is. patchily from Gulf of California to nw Peru.

It is a very large bird. Adults weighs around 1.5 kg, with a wing length of about 41 cm and a tail of around 21.2 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 4.3 million km².

Songs & calls

Blue-footed Booby — Call

Recorded by Barry Edmonston Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How big is the Blue-footed Booby?

The Blue-footed Booby is a very large bird that weighs around 1.5 kg.

Where does the Blue-footed Booby live?

The Blue-footed Booby is found across Oceans & Seabirds with a range covering PO ec subtropical and tropical Pacific coast is. patchily from Gulf of California to nw Peru, where it is associated with wetlands, lakes and other open water.

What family does the Blue-footed Booby belong to?

The Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) belongs to the Sulidae family, in the order Suliformes.

What does the Blue-footed Booby eat?

The Blue-footed Booby hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.

Does the Blue-footed Booby migrate?

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

Is the Blue-footed 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 Blue-footed Booby make?

1 real field recording of the Blue-footed 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 Blue-footed Booby's range?

The Blue-footed Booby has a mapped global range of about 4.3 million km².