Red-footed Booby

Sula sula

The smallest booby, with actual red feet. Roosts and nests in trees, which no other booby bothers to do.

Population: Approximately 1.4 million mature individuals globally (Partners in Flight 2019, per IUCN Red List assessment); population trend is decreasing due to habitat loss, invasive predators, and unsustainable exploitation, though the species remains numerous with large colonies (e.g., historically ~6,000 pairs on Christmas Island)
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical open ocean; breeds colonially on remote islands and atolls, nesting in trees or shrubs (unlike other boobies, which nest on the ground)
Fun fact: The Red-footed Booby is the smallest of the six booby species and the only one that nests in trees and shrubs rather than on the ground, which helps protect its eggs and chicks from ground-based predators.
Range: Pantropical across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans — including Caribbean islands, Galápagos, Hawaii (e.g., Kilauea Point, Kauai), Seychelles, Aldabra, Chagos Archipelago, Maldives, and Christmas Island
Diet: Primarily flying fish and squid, caught by plunge-diving and shallow dives; also takes escolar and other small fish, sometimes chasing airborne flying fish in flight like a flycatcher catching insects
Size: 0.7 m
Wingspan: 1.52 m
Lifespan: 22 years

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