Nazca Booby
Sula granti
The Nazca Booby (Sula granti) is a uncommon boobies and gannet found in 16 countries, weighing about 1.7 kg. The Nazca booby is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae, native to the eastern Pacific.
About the Nazca Booby
The Nazca booby is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae, native to the eastern Pacific. First described by Walter Rothschild in 1902, it was long considered a subspecies of the masked booby until recognised as distinct genetically and behaviorally in 2002. It has a typical sulid body shape, with a long pointed orange-yellow bill, long neck, aerodynamic body, long slender wings and pointed tail. The adult is bright white with black and white wings, a black tail and a dark face mask.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The species has a yellow iris, orange and pinkish beak, black facial skin in the form of a mask, and grey feet. Adults present white plumage with black tips of the wings and tail. The female is bigger and heavier than the male, has a slightly differently colored beak, and squawks while the male whistles. Chicks are snow white and fluffy, plumage changing to grey along with beak and feet upon fledging.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in France, Australia, Canada, Japan, Kiribati.
When to see it
The Nazca Booby can be seen all year round, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Nazca Booby?
- The species has a yellow iris, orange and pinkish beak, black facial skin in the form of a mask, and grey feet. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Nazca Booby?
- The Nazca Booby is a huge sized bird weighing about 1.7 kg.
- Where can you see a Nazca Booby?
- The Nazca Booby occurs in 16 countries, including Ecuador, the United States, Costa Rica, Mexico and Colombia.
- What birds look similar to a Nazca Booby?
- The Nazca Booby is most easily confused with the Masked Booby, the Red-footed Booby and the Blue-footed Booby.
- Is the Nazca Booby endangered?
- The Nazca Booby is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Nazca Booby for real
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