Animalia Life
Sula leucogaster
TAXONOMY
Pelecanus Leucogaster, Boddaert, 1783, Cayenne. Four subspecies
recognized: S. l. leucogaster, Boddaert, 1783; S. l. plotus; J. R.
Forster, 1844; S. l. brewsteri, Goss, 1888; S. l. etesiaca , Thayer
and Bangs, 1905.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: White-bellied booby; French: Fou brun; German:
Weissbauchtцlpel; Spanish: Piquero Pardo.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
25.2–29.1 in (64–74 cm); 1.6–3.4 lb (0.7–1.6 kg); wingspan
52–59.1 in (132–150 cm). Wholly dark, except for white belly.
Color of head and bare parts varies with race. Females average
slightly larger.
DISTRIBUTION
Pantropical, race leucogaster occurs in Caribbean and tropical
Atlantic, plotus in Red Sea and west Indian Ocean east to central
Pacific, brewsteri in northeast tropical Pacific, etesiaca in
central east Pacific.
HABITAT
Strictly marine, feeding mostly in inshore waters. Nests on
cliffs, slopes, or bare ground on offshore islands or coral
atolls.
BEHAVIOR
Ample repertoire of ritualized displays, including some aerial
elements. Rather aggressive on breeding grounds.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds close to the shore mostly on flying-fish and squid caught
by plunge-diving from lower heights, often at an oblique angle.
Uses feet and wings for underwater propulsion. Also commonly
feeds on the wing, catching flying-fish or harassing
other birds.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Only locally seasonal. Forms colonies on flat ground or among
vegetation. Nest is only a small depression, sometimes lined
with grass. Lays two eggs but brood size subsequently reduced
through sibling aggression. Incubation lasts 43 days. Chick
fledges at 85–105 days, then cared for a further 118–259 days.
Does not breed until two to three years old.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened. Numerous and widespread, though numbers
significantly reduced in historic times through direct exploitation.
Locally threatened with alien predators, tourist development,
and lack of protection at nest-sites.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
In the past, widely taken for food and fish-bait. Such practices
still persist in some areas. Due to presence of widely scattered
breeding colonies, may give rise to incipient tourist activities in
places.
Photo Gallery of - Brown booby
