Masked Booby

Overview
Masked Booby: Large seabird with white body, black trailing edge on wings, pointed black tail. Head has black mask and long, pointed, yellow bill. Legs and feet are yellow-gray. Plunge dives from 40 feet for small squid and flying fish. Alternates strong rapid wing beats with glides.

Range and Habitat
Masked Booby: Breeds in Bahamas and West Indies, and on other islands in tropical Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. Rare visitor to coasts of Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, and in Gulf Stream to the Carolinas. Pelagic, only comes ashore to breed.

INTERESTING FACTS
The masked booby is the largest of the booby family. They lack a brood patch and instead incubates with their feet. Although it often lays two eggs, it never raises two young. The first egg is laid four to nine days before the second, and the older chick always ejects the second from the nest. A group of boobies are collectively known as a "congress", "hatch", and "trap" of boobies.