Nazca Booby

Wildlife Photo: Nazca Booby

 

Nazca Booby
A Nazca Booby at Punta Suarez on Espanola Island in the Galapagos

 

The sleek-looking Nazca Booby of the Galapagos Islands.

Not many years ago, the Nazca Booby was considered a subspecies of the Masked Booby, but now it is recognized as it’s own unique species.

They are mostly white in colour, with black wing tips and black around the face. Despite breeding and hatching on islands with few predators (the Galapagos), the Nazca Boobies will only raise one chick.

Usually two eggs are laid, and whichever hatches first (if they both hatch) will eventually push the other baby Nazca Booby out of the nest. Once out of the protected ‘ring’, the parents will refuse to feed the abandoned baby and it will inevitably die! Cruel siblings huh?

2 thoughts on “Wildlife Photo: Nazca Booby”

    1. Thanks Alex….and ya, you’d think they would break the rules sometimes and feed 2 chicks…surely there is enough food around! But perhaps they’re just lazy? Ha!

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