Galapagos booby birds - masked, blue and red footed

Boobies belong to the family Sulidae, which also includes gannets. In the Galapagos, there are three boobies: the masked booby or Nazca booby(Sula dactylatra), the red-footed booby (Sula sula) and the blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii). Despite the obvious color differences, the three boobies are very similar in body shape, with the masked being the largest and the blue-footed the smallest. Though small by comparison, the blue-footed booby has, proportionately, the largest tail of the three. All three have torpedo-like bodies with sharply pointed beaks. Indeed, the local Spanish name, "piquero" is derived from the beak shape: "piquero enmascarado" (masked booby), "piquero patas rojo" (red-footed booby), and "piquero patas azul" (blue-footed booby).The origin of the name booby is less clear, probably derived from Spanish "bobo", or clown, in reference to their habit of landing on ships at sea and being easily approached - and killed - by sailors.

Blue footed boobies

Named for their blue legs and feet these are the most common and non-descript of the Galapagos Booby. Their natural habitat extends from Peru to Mexico . Young blue-foots look quite similar to adults yet it takes 2 to 3 years to reach their adult plumage of a pale streaked head, dark mantle with white patches on the nape and rump, white bellies and a dark tail. Blue-Footed Boobies nest in colonies. In large colonies there is almost continuous breeding with pairs nesting every 7 to 9 months. They can be seen breeding on most islands north of the equator in the Galapagos.

Red footed boobies

The smallest booby grows to be 28 in (71 cm) long with a wingspan of 4-? ft (1.37 m). Most of the Red-Foots are all brown with the exception of red legs and feet and a light blue bill with a red base. A small percent of the red-foots are mistaken for masked boobies with white heads, bodies and wings, red feet and legs, and blue beaks.
Colonial in nature the Red-Footed differs from the other boobies by making their nests in small trees and shrubs. Colonies can be found on Tower, Culpepper, Wenman, Gardener-near-Floreana, Punta and Isla Pitt. They are rarely seen in areas other than where they breed. Eggs can be found throughout the year with colonies hatching at the same times.

Masked or Nazca Boobies

The largest of the Galapagos Booby grow to 30 to 35 inches (76 to 89 cm) in length with a wingspan of 5 to 6 ft (1.5 to 1.8 m). Adult birds are easily identified with their beautiful white head, body and wing coverts, dark tails, masks, and patches on their backs. Young masked boobies with their gray legs and feet their dark head and bellies can be mistaken for the brown booby.
Masked Boobies are common in the tropics and subtropics nesting in colonies along cliffs or at the sea edge. These are the only boobies in the Galapagos to have an annual breeding cycle, though the cycle varies between islands. On Tower Island most of the eggs are laid between August and November while on Hood Island the eggs are laid from November to February.