Blue-footed booby

The bird with blue feet

The blue-footed booby is a medium-sized seabird, with mainly white and brown plumage, a streaked head and a long, pointed beak. Its unmistakable feature, however, is its feet: large, webbed and of a bright, almost turquoise blue. This extraordinary colour derives from the pigments present in the fish it feeds on, and is an indicator of the individual's health and vigour: more intense feet signal an animal in better condition. Females are slightly larger than males.

Habitat and distribution

It lives along the coasts of the eastern Pacific, from the Galápagos Islands to the Gulf of California, right down to Peru. It is a seabird that nests in colonies on rocky coasts and islands, while spending much of its time on the open sea hunting fish.

The courtship dance

The most famous behaviour of the blue-footed booby is the male's courtship, a genuine display. The male proudly shows off its blue feet, lifting them up and down with slow, solemn movements while strutting before the female, accompanying it all with calls and the offering of twigs. The female assesses the colour of the suitor's feet before choosing her mate.

Hunting and conservation

It is a skilful diver: having spotted a shoal of fish from above, it plunges into the water at great speed, folding its wings at the last instant to pierce the surface like an arrow. It is classified as a species of least concern. On the Galápagos it was among the animals studied by Charles Darwin, and is today one of the most beloved attractions for visitors to the archipelago. (Note: the weight value on Wikidata, 61 kg, is clearly wrong; the real weight is around 1–2 kg.)