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Brown Booby
(Sula leucogaster)
Size:
65-75 cm (male),
70-80 cm (female);
wing span
1.2 - 1.4 m (male),
1.3-1.5 m (female)
Weight:
up to 1.0 kg (male),
up to 1.3 kg (female)
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Brown Boobies are big seabirds with brown-and-white
plumage.
Seen from above, Brown Boobies are all dark-brown; on
the underside the breast, belly, vent and greater coverts
are white.
Male
Brown Boobies have a bluish facial mask, whereas
females
do not have any blue at the base of the yellowish-grey bill.
The irises of both sexes are white. The legs and feet are
yellowish-grey.
In immature
Brown Boobies the parts that are white in
adults start off
in mottled brown plumage,
which gradually turns white.
Juveniles
have dark-brown plumage
with a heavily mottled front.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Brown
Booby at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Brown Booby is available
HERE
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There are 4 extant races of Brown Boobies, which are birds of the
tropical oceans all around the globe.
Nominate race
"leucogaster"
populates the Caribbean and Atlantic islands.
Race
"plotus"
is present in the Pacific Ocean and westward to the Indian Ocean
and the Red Sea.
Race "brewsteri" is found along the Pacific coast of North America
and Mexico, while
race "etesiaca" lives along the coastlines of central America and in
Colombia.
Brown Boobies reach the Australian shores only in the northern half
of the continent, from about Exmouth, WA, in the West to the QLD/NSW
border in the East.
Race "plotus"
is found in coastal
waters all along the Australian North coast and also all
offshore islands
in that range, from about Exmouth, WA, in the West to the QLD/NSW
border in the East.
Brown Boobies are commonly found on the
open sea,
coastal waters
and offshore islands.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "plotus"
M. Mearns reports spotting Brown Boobies, race
"plotus",
on Lady Elliot Island, off the QLD coast near Agnes Water, in
January 2006 and again in January 2016.
H. Mouritsen spotted a Brown Booby, race
"plotus",
on One Tree Island, Capricornia Cays NP, near Rockhampton, QLD,
in January 2011.
A. Ross-Taylor reports seeing Brown Boobies, race
"plotus",
from a cruiseship while in Australian territorial waters off the
coast of QLD in April 2012.
M. Eaton reports finding Brown Boobies, race
"plotus",
at Lady Musgrave Island, QLD, in September 2017, and at Cape
Melville, Cape York peninsula, QLD, in August 2019.
Race "leucogaster"
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Photos |
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Race "plotus"
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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Frontal view of two male Brown Boobies on their roost; note the
bluish facial masks
(photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2006]
Lateral view of a male Brown Booby
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin, NT, January 2016]
Lateral view of a male Brown Booby
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin, NT, January 2016]
Lateral view onto the upperparts of a male Brown Booby in flight
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cape Melville, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]
Male Brown Booby in flight seen from underneath (photo courtesy of
A. Ross-Taylor)
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FEMALE |
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Lateral view of a female Brown Booby
(photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]
Dorsal view of a female Brown Booby
(photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]
Near-frontal view of a female Brown Booby in flight; note the
absence of a bluish facial mask
(photo courtesy of H. Mouritsen)
[One Tree Island, Capricornia Cays NP, QLD, January 2011]
Female Brown Booby trying to catch a fish
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lady Musgrave Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, September 2017]
Frontal view of a female Brown Booby in captivity
(photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
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PAIR |
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Lateral view of a pair of Brown Boobies, with the male on the
right and the female on the left
(photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Near-frontal view of an immature Brown Booby
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin, NT, January 2016]
Lateral view of an immature Brown Booby in flight, with a
clear view of the underwing pattern
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin, NT, January 2016]
Race "leucogaster"
A Brown Booby, nominate race
"leucogaster",
was photographed by us in
Europe.
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors.
The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.