The causal reason is that carotenoid pigments, which the boobies get through their diet, are concentrated in their feet, making them appear blue in colour The concentration of these pigments determines the strength of the colour of the feet, with higher concentrations making the feet a more intense colour of blue.
What color are blue-footed boobies?
Adults have brilliantly blue feet and
grayish brown streaking
on
pale head
and neck. Young birds have brown feet and darker brown streaking on the head, neck, and chest Blue-footed Boobies spend much of the day fishing, often in flocks.
How old are blue-footed boobies?
Lifespan & Reproduction. In the wild, the blue-footed booby can live up to 17 years due to a lack of predators and relatively isolated habitats. Females begin breeding at 1-6 years of age and males slightly later at 2-6 years of age.
Do blue-footed boobies mate for life?
Once a match is made, the pair will often remain together for life The female lays two to three eggs, which both parents take turns to incubate whilst the other keeps watch for predators. Boobies lack a brood patch, instead using their large feet to keep the eggs warm.
What eats blue-footed boobies?
Predation. On the
galápagos islands
, the only predator of Blue-footed Boobies is the
galapagos hawk
(Buteo galapagoensis), the only diurnal bird of prey of the islands.
Can blue-footed boobies fly?
Like other boobies, blue-foots nest on land at night. When day breaks, they take to the air in search of seafood, sometimes fishing in cooperative groups. They may fly far out to sea while keeping a keen eye out for schools of small fish, such as anchovies.
Do blue-footed boobies make nests?
The Blue-footed Booby makes no nest , but lays its eggs on bare ground. The incubating birds defecate while on the nest, and the eggs become surrounded by a circular wall of excrement.
How do blue-footed boobies mate?
During
mating rituals
, male Blue-Footed Boobies show off their feet to prospective mates with a high-stepping strut The bluer the feet, the more attractive the mate.
How many blue-footed boobies are left in the world?
Around 80,000 blue-footed boobies are currently left in the world. The majority of these breeding pairs nest in the Galapagos Islands and their population is quite stable.
Are blue-footed boobies only in the Galapagos?
No. Although the Galapagos is home to around half the world’s population of blue-footed boobies , they can also be found down the western coasts of Central and South America, including El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia (mainland Ecuador), Peru and the northern tip of Chile.
Why are blue-footed boobies disappearing?
Over the course of the recent Galápagos study sardines represented less than half of the boobies’ diet. This suggests the birds find their current, low sardine diet sufficient to live but insufficient to breed successfully. “We think the main factor behind the decline is a scarcity of food ,” Huyvaert said.
Why is the blue footed boobie endangered?
In April 2014, a project was completed revealing that populations of blue-footed boobies are in fact declining at a slow rate in the Galapagos islands. The reason for this decline is the issue of breeding Apparently, blue-footed boobies in this region are having difficulty reproducing, resulting in fewer offspring.
Citations
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/140425-galapagos-blue-footed-booby-endangered-birds-science-animals
https://www.gogalapagos.com/animal-specie/blue-footed-booby/