Nature, like nothing else, is capable of striking the imagination with its creations. Amazing landscapes, fantastic plants and unusual animals are always able to arouse the interest of not only the scientist-researcher, but also just people who love natural beauty. One of these unique creatures is the blue-footed booby. Photos of these incredibly cute and trusting birds have already won the hearts of Internet users.

The first to study and describe the blue-footed booby was the well-known Charles Darwin. For this purpose, he specially visited the Galapagos Islands, the favorite habitat of these birds. By the way, to study their habits is not so difficult. The boobies are practically not afraid of people at all and let them in at a close distance.

Because of such trustfulness, which often ended very sadly for the bird, and because of the rather clumsy, as for all seabirds, gait in English it is called booby . The name comes from the Spanish bobo, “fool” or “clown. And indeed, in all the photos of feathery looks very funny and cute.

Appearance of the blue-footed booby
The first thing you notice when you look at the bird is, of course, the unusual blue paws with webbing. Their shade can vary from bright blue to gray-blue. It all depends on the age and health of the booby. And also – from the sex. Males have brighter paws, while females have more subdued tones.

The head and neck are covered with light brown and white feathers, the wings are dark brown, the tail is black, and the belly and lower part of the body are absolutely white. Such an interesting alternation of tones gives the bird a “prickly” look.

The sturgeon’s wings are long and pointed at the ends. The beak is large enough and has a greenish-gray tint. The eyes are yellow, directed forward, and males also have a pigmented spot around the pupils, which makes the eyes appear larger. By the way, the birds’ eyesight is excellent.

To catch prey, boobies have to dive often. For this reason, nature gave the bird closed nostrils. How do they breathe in this case? Oddly enough, with the corners of their mouth.

Birds communicate using hoarse cries and thin, whistling sounds. Research has shown that not only male and female voices differ, but that boobies can distinguish their pair from other birds by their voice.

Hunting and feeding
Unusual bird blue-footed boobyThe diet of the boobies consists exclusively of fish. It is thanks to fresh fish in the body produces a pigment – carotenoid, which improves immunity and is an excellent antioxidant. The same pigment gives bright colors to paws. If fresh fish is removed from the bird’s diet, the paws will fade in 48 hours.

The booby prefers to hunt small fish: sardine, mackerel, mackerel, and even flying fish. On occasion, they will not refuse to eat squid or the entrails of large fish.

Birds usually hunt in flocks, and only few birds hunt singly. They fly out to hunt in the evening or at dawn. They fly up into the air, keeping a close eye on their prey. Their beak is always directed downward. In search of fish, boobies can go far out to sea. As soon as the bird that leads the flock notices its prey in the water, it immediately signals to the others and all boobies dive into the water simultaneously.

These feathered hunters are incredible divers. They dive to a depth of up to 25 meters and can reach speeds of up to 100 km/hour. The height from which they fall, folding their long wings, can reach 30 meters. The boobies can easily swim a few meters underwater in pursuit of their prey. If they are lucky, they emerge not far from the diving point with a fish in their beak.

An interesting fact is that birds of this species prefer to catch fish not when diving but when surfacing. The reason for such cunning hunting is the coloration of fish, the back of which is usually dark and the belly is light, and it’s much easier to spot in the dark water depth. So much for the “fool…”

Sturgeons don’t neglect flying fish either. They don’t even have to dive for such food, and they catch them right in the air. The birds also feed on the surface of the sea. Moreover, if they hunted in a flock, they all eat together, but those who hunted alone eat alone.

Breeding and chicks
The only thing sea creatures like boobies need land for is breeding. Their nesting period is year-round. Every eight months, the female lays eggs.

Nests of this type of birds are usually trampled hollows in the ground. The birds enclose them with branches, and fearlessly defend them. Sometimes they may have a nesting place on rocks or trees. They have 2-3 such nests, and they are at a decent distance from each other.