Blue-footed Booby vs Peruvian Booby

Blue-footed Booby

Sula nebouxii

Huge1.5 kgMarine

The blue-footed booby is on average 81 cm (32 in) long and weighs 1.5 kg (3+1⁄4 lb), with the female being slightly larger than the male. Its wings are long, pointed, and brown in color. The neck and head of the blue-footed booby are light brown with white streaks, while the belly and underside exhibit pure white plumage. Its eyes are placed on either side of its bill and oriented towards the front, enabling excellent binocular vision. Its eyes are a distinctive yellow, with the male having more yellow in its irises than the female.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ndecam from London, UK · CC BY 2.0

Peruvian Booby

Sula variegata

Large1.4 kgMarine

The Peruvian booby has brown upperparts and a white head and underparts. There is noticeable white mottling on the upper side of the wings. Their wing-coverts are tipped white, creating a scale-like pattern. They have a long, pointed, grey bill and grey webbed feet. This differentiates them from characteristic coloring of the blue-footed and red-footed boobies. Female boobies tend to be larger than their male counterparts: their bodies an average of 19% heavier, and their wings 4% larger. Voice: Female Peruvian boobies have a range of vocalizations; from trumpet-like quacks to honks. The male booby, on the other hand, tends to whistle. This kind of auditory communication is unique to adult members of the species, as it takes a few years to be able to produce such vocalizations.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Daniel Polin · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Blue-footed Booby and Peruvian Booby.