Blue-footed Booby vs Red-footed 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

Red-footed Booby

Sula sula

Large1.0 kgMarine

The red-footed booby is the smallest member of the booby and gannet family at about 70 cm (28 in) in length and with a wingspan of up to 152 cm (60 in). The average weight of 490 adults from Christmas Island was 837 g (1.845 lb). It has red legs, and its bill and throat pouch are coloured pink and blue. This species has several morphs. In the white morph the plumage is mostly white (the head often tinged yellowish) and the flight feathers are black. The black-tailed white morph is similar, but with a black tail, and can easily be confused with the Nazca and masked boobies.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: AnonymousUnknown author, United States Coast Guard · Public domain

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