Masked Booby

Scientific Name: Sula dactylatra
Malay Name: Angsa-Laut Paruh Kuning
Chinese Name: 蓝脸鲣鸟

Range:
A pelagic species, breeding and wintering in tropical waters from 30 degrees north of the equator to 30 degrees south of the equator.

Taxonomy:
Polytypic. Subspecies are: dactylatra, melanops, tasmani, personata.

Local Subspecies: personata

Size: 74-86cm

Identification:
All white Booby with yellow bill (dull yellow in females and immature birds) with black primaries and secondaries. Face blue-black. Immatures with brown upperparts and underwings, and a white collar. From Red-footed Booby of all ages by greyish-yellow feet instead of red. From immature Brown Booby by white collar.

Similar looking species: Red-footed Booby, Brown Booby

Habitat: Open seas and rarely coastal waters.

Behaviour/Ecology: Strong flyer that prefers to hunt in areas of deep sea; generally not seen from the coast except when breding.

Local Status: Very rare non-breeding visitor

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2018)

Featured articles:

• Migrant bar charts – Aug 28 update (Blog)
• Checklist Revision for August 2022 (Revisions)

Past accepted records in our database:

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Masked Booby from Texas, United States of America. Photo: Keita Sin