Fun Brown Booby Bird Facts For Kids

Brown booby (Sula leucogaster) is a species of seabird commonly found in Puerto Rico and the North American regions. They have a black or dark brown-colored plumage and a contrasting white belly. Its beak is long and quite sharp. The color of its feet ranges from bright yellow to light pink and grey. Their scientific name is Sula leucogaster.

Here, we have many amazing and interesting brown booby bird facts that you will enjoy. Let's take a look at these facts and information, and if you enjoy these then, do read our red-footed booby facts and eared dove facts for more.
 

What type of animal is a brown booby bird?

The brown booby (Sula leucogaster) is a species of sea bird.

What class of animal does a brown booby bird belong to?

The booby brown belongs to the class Aves. It is a species of sea bird.

How many brown booby birds are there in the world?

The total population of brown booby birds is estimated to be lower than 500,000. Therefore, according to the IUCN Red List, these birds are enlisted as a Least Concern species.

Where does a brown booby bird live?

Brown booby birds live in cliffs and hills near the sea. These birds are found in tropical and subtropical seawaters.

What is a brown booby's habitat?

Brown booby bird has a wide range. These birds are found in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Virgin Islands, and Pacific Coast. These birds are also seen in the Salton Sea river in North America. These birds build their nest on coral atolls and volcanic stack islands and even use them as breeding grounds.

Who do brown booby birds live with?

Brown booby birds are monogamous birds. They are seen in pairs or flocks. These birds are especially spotted during their breeding season in pairs.

How long does a brown booby bird live?

Brown booby (Sula leucogaster) can live up to 27 years and two months at maximum. Their average lifespan has not been measured till now.

How do they reproduce?

Male brown booby uses methods like sky-pointing and parading to attract a female. During sky-pointing, the male stands up and looks towards the sky, and stretches its head as much as possible, and makes a unique whistling sound when the female approaches. Parading, on the other hand, is nothing special. The male walks in a different manner in which his body posture is unusually erect.

Females lay two eggs, but they only raise one chick after the fledgling stage. They keep the second egg as insurance in case the first chick is unable to survive. The incubation period is about 42 days, and they fledge in about 100 days.

What is their conservation status?

According to the IUCN Red List, the brown booby birds are enlisted as a Least Concern species, meaning they are not facing any major threat other than sally lightfoot crabs or any other large seabird. Therefore, we need not worry about their conservation.

What do brown booby birds look like?

Brown booby birds' upper body is covered in black and dark brown plumage, and to this upper body color, they have a contrasting white belly. They have a long pointed beak which is quite sharp, and the color of their feet ranges from bright yellow, bluish yellow to light pink and gray.

These birds display sexual dimorphism. However, they can be distinguished easily as the males have a blue orbital ring around their eyes while females have a yellow orbital ring.

How cute are they?

Brown booby is a cute bird that is found near cliffs and hills near the sea. It feeds on fish and crustaceans, and as per the studies performed on them, they are also harmless to humans.

How do they communicate?

Brown booby birds uses a variety of calls to communicate with each other. Males often use a series of soft whistles while the females make harsh quacking or honking sounds. The male's calls are longer, and they tend to sound harsher, while the females produce a sound known as a 'roar-call'. They use this to keep intruders away from their nest.

Hatchlings use a loud, raspy, repetitive 'craa-craaaa' sound for food calls.

How big is a brown booby bird?

A brown booby bird can grow up to 25.20-33.46 in (64-85 cm) long, and they appear almost as same as a northern gannet in size, but a northern gannet is bigger in size and is about 34–39 in (86.3-99 cm) in size.

How fast can a brown booby bird fly?

Brown booby seabirds are powerful and agile fliers. They are agile because of their small size and can fly at a speed of 24.8 mph (40 kph). They can also glide swiftly.

How much does a brown booby bird weigh?

Brown booby birds can weigh in the range of 2-4 lb (907.18-1814.37 g), but usually, they weigh around 2.8 lb (1270 g). Female birds are heavier and can weigh a little more than male birds.

What are the male and female names of the species?

The male and the female of this species do not have any separate names. However, they can be easily distinguished as males have blue orbital rings while females have yellow orbital rings. Females are also a bit larger than males.

What would you call a baby brown booby bird?

Baby brown booby birds are called chicks or 'hatchlings'. They are ruthless, as the firstborn chick kicks off the second egg from the nest and its parents do nothing about it. They hatch in about 42 days and take about 100 days to fledge.

What do they eat?

The brown booby bird (Sula leucogaster) mainly feeds on small fish. They also eat crustaceans like shrimps and prawns. In addition, they feed on fishes like flying fish, squirrelfish, and they even eat squids.

Are they aggressive?

Brown booby is an aggressive bird. It makes a harsh sound to warn intruders about its territory, and it hops towards the intruder with their neck and head stretched forward to make them go away. If the intruder does not leave, it rattles its bill towards the intruder.

Would they make a good pet?

Brown booby birds live in a hot environment and build their nest on coral atolls and volcanic stack islands. They might get aggressive during the breeding season and attack you if they think of you as an intruder, so it is not advised to keep one as a pet. It is best if we allowed wild birds to be out in the wild.

Did you know...

The brown booby bird breeds from December to March on the central Pacific Coast. This is a North American bird, and its range is spread across the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, Pacific, and the Indian Ocean.

When it gets the required amount of nutrients and vitamins, its feet remain deep blue or even purple-colored, and it looks very similar to a gannet.

They are known to mate for life and remain with a single partner for life.

Origins of the brown booby bird

The brown booby is a bird that has a wide range and originates from the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They are also found living in Australia, North American regions, the Gulf of Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

The brown booby's nests

They build their nest on tropical and sub-tropical islands. The nest is built either on the ground or on a cliff and is made in shallow depressions. These nests are built by females and are often lined with a large mound of twigs, grass, and debris.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these golden masked owl facts and woodcock facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Brown Booby coloring pages.