Red-footed Booby

Overview
Red-footed Booby: The black-tailed white-morph is a small booby with white head, body, tail. Pale blue face has pink-based, pale blue bill. Flight feathers are black. Bright red legs, feet. Brown form is brown overall with darker flight feathers. Strong steady wing beats with glides.

Range and Habitat
Red-footed Booby: Breeds on tropical islands worldwide, including Caribbean, Galapagos, Indian Ocean; strays to Dry Tortugas off Florida, accidental off Gulf and California coasts. Pelagic, only comes ashore to breed.

INTERESTING FACTS
The Red-Footed Booby has no brooding patch (bare skin on the underbelly) to keep their eggs warm. They use their webbed feet, which have an increased blood supply. The Red-footed Booby is one of the few seabirds who build their nests in small trees and shrubs. Since there are no predators on most islands where it breeds, this trait probably developed to avoid competition for nesting territory with larger booby species. A group of boobies are collectively known as a "congress", "hatch", and "trap" of boobies.