Red-footed Booby

Red-footed Booby
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Sula sula

Malay Name: Angsa-Laut Kaki Merah

Chinese Name: 红脚鲣鸟

Range: Found from tropical and subtropical Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and wanders widely outside breeding seasons to Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: sula, rubripes, websteri.

Local Subspecies: rubripes

Size: 68-72.5 cm

Identification: Occurs in a variety of colour morphs but all have feet of the distinctive red color which gives them their name. Adult white morph has mostly white plumage with contrasting black flight feathers while the brown form has dark greyish brown plumage with darker flight feathers and light bluish-grey bill/facial skin. Adult of the intermediate form resembles white morph but has brown mantle, back and wing-coverts. Juvenile brown morph resembles adult but has dark grey bill and purplish facial skin. Immature white morph often shows diffuse darker breast-band and untidy whitish area on wing coverts.

Similar looking species: Brown Booby, Masked Booby

Habitat: Open seas and sometimes coastal waters.

Behaviour/Ecology: Strong flyers that feed by diving vertically into the water. Once in the water, the birds use their webbed feet to aid swimming.

Local Status: Very rare visitor

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2021)

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Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

References:

BirdLife International. (2021). Sula sula. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22696694A168988714.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

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