Sula dactylatra
The Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra) is a striking, large seabird characterized by its pristine white plumage, contrasting with black flight feathers on the wings and tail, and a distinctive dark mask around its eyes. Adults sport a stout, sharp bill that typically appears yellow in males and a slightly more greenish-yellow in females, which are also subtly larger. Measuring 76-92 cm (30-36 in) in length with a wingspan of 137-170 cm (54-67 in) and weighing 1.2-2.3 kg (2.6-5.1 lb), this powerfu...
Primarily pelagic, inhabiting tropical and subtropical oceanic waters far from continental landmasses. It breeds exclusively on remote, predator-free islands and cays, typically on open, flat ground or low cliffs.
Consists mainly of various fish species, particularly flying fish, and squid, which they capture by plunge-diving from considerable heights into the ocean.
Masked Boobies are diurnal hunters, spending most of their day at sea foraging, returning to breeding islands only to roost or attend to nests. Their primary foraging strategy is spectacular plunge-diving, often from heights of 10 to 30 meters, where they fold their wings back and strike the wate...
The Masked Booby boasts a vast circumtropical and subtropical distribution across the world's oceans, including the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Its breeding range is highly disjunct, concentrated on remote oceanic islands and atolls. Key breeding colonies are found in the Atlantic on is...
Least Concern
- Masked Boobies are one of the few bird species where obligate siblicide is a widespread behavior; the older chick nearly always kills its younger sibling. - They can dive to impressive depths of up to 10 meters (33 feet) or more to catch prey, propelling themselves underwater using their large ...