Blue-footed Booby

Overview
Blue-footed Booby: Large, gull-like seabird with white body, brown wings and brown-streaked head and back. The blue-gray bill is long and stout. Legs and feet are powder blue. Plunge dives for fish from 50 feet above shallow water. Alternates rapid, deep wing beats with sailing glides.

Range and Habitat
Blue-footed Booby: Breeds from Gulf of California south to Peru. In summer, a few stray to Salton Sea in southeastern California or, infrequently, to southern California coast. Pelagic, only comes ashore to breed.

INTERESTING FACTS
The Blue-footed Booby derives its name from the Spanish word bobo which means stupid or silly. Its lack of fear and clumsiness on land made this bird easy prey for man. They have no brooding patch (bare skin on the underbelly) to keep their eggs warm. They use their webbed feet, which have an increased blood supply and for the first month after hatching, the chicks stand on their parent’s feet to keep warm. Unlike other boobies, the Blue-footed Booby can dive into the water from a position of swimming on the surface. A group of boobies are collectively known as a "congress", "hatch", and "trap" of boobies.