The red-footed booby is a species in the pelican family that lives in tropical coastal areas. This booby bird is also found on tropical islands in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, excluding the Atlantic side of Africa.
In Belize, the booby is most frequently found in the Keys, most notably Half Moon Caye, part of which, in 1928, was listed as a Crown Reserve Bird Sanctuary under the Crown Lands Ordinance. The Crown Sanctuary Reserve was specifically dedicated to protecting the red-footed booby bird. The Crown Reserve was the first and remains the oldest designated wildlife protection area in Belize.
Half Moon Caye is currently home to a colony of more than 4,000 birds, including the Booby Bird. Boobies like to nest in very large colonies in the orange-flowered Ziricote thicket. At the western end of Half Moon Caye you have a spectacular view of the boobies from an observation deck.
Mother Booby will lay only one light blue egg in her nest, which is made of sticks. Using their feet, both Booby parents will take turns incubating their eggs for about 44 to 46 days, then the babies will learn to fly about 3 months after hatching. Boobies must use their feet to hatch their eggs as they do not have a brood patch. Mating booby pairs can stay together for several seasons, although they do not stay together for life.
Boobies’ love of Ziricote trees is not a one-sided relationship. The booby colony actually supports the stability of the forest with its droppings that the forest uses as fertilizer. This unique relationship between Booby and Ziricote has endured and will continue for many years to come if left alone as nature intended.
The Booby has a unique variety of color morphs, unlike other seabirds. The boobies at Half Moon Caye are made up almost entirely of white birds with some black markings on the tips of their wings. Elsewhere the boobies are light brown in color and when looking inside the flock you may see a brown white-tailed morph or a red-footed booby that is completely brown. Despite the differences in plumage, all these adults will have the same characteristic: red feet.
Being a shorebird, it’s no wonder red-footed boobies eat fish. Like many fishing birds, boobies dive into the ocean at high speed from the air to catch prey in the water. Their diet consists mainly of small fish and squid that sometimes swim in large numbers near the surface of the water.
The red-footed boobies of Belize are the smallest of the nine species of booby birds in the world. There are three species of booby birds in Belize: the masked booby, the red-footed booby, and the blue-footed booby. The red-footed booby is approximately 28 inches long and has a wingspan of just over 3 feet. The 3-foot wingspan of the Boobies makes them very powerful and agile fliers, yet they are known for awkward takeoffs and landings.
A trip to Half Moon Caye to see these magnificent birds will be an experience you will remember for the rest of your life!