Meet the Blue-Footed Booby, a seabird known for its bright blue feet. The name "booby" comes from the Spanish word bobo, meaning fool or clown, given by early sailors who were amused by the bird’s clumsy, high-stepping walk and fearless curiosity around humans. But once in the air, the Blue-footed Booby becomes a skilled hunter. Flocks can become breathtaking in an instant, diving from the sky into the ocean together to catch fish.

This bird is fairly large, measuring about 80 to 90 centimeters (32 to 35 inches) from beak to tail, with a wingspan of around 1.5 meters (5 feet). Males and females look similar at a glance, with chocolate-brown wings, white underparts, and long gray beaks. Females tend to be a little bigger and heavier, often weighing up to 2 kilograms (about 4.4 pounds), compared to the males’ 1.5 kilograms (around 3.3 pounds). They also tend to have darker blue feet than males or younger birds.

Both sexes share those vivid blue, webbed feet that range from pale turquoise to deep aqua. The color comes from pigments in the fish they eat and plays a major role in attracting mates. Above their beaks, Blue-footed Boobies have yellow eyes that face forward, giving them good depth perception and a slightly wide-eyed look.

Blue-footed Boobies live along the eastern Pacific Ocean, where they thrive in warm tropical and subtropical waters. Their range extends from Mexico’s Gulf of California through Central America to the coast of Peru, with a major stronghold in the Galápagos Islands. About half the global breeding population nests in the Galápagos, but they also raise chicks on other offshore islands and rocky coastal spots along the Pacific.

They spend most of their lives at sea, returning to land mainly to breed and raise their young. They nest on dry, rocky islands or coastal cliffs where predators are scarce. Each pair claims a simple spot on the ground, often no more than a shallow dip in the soil. Outside the breeding season, they return to the ocean, resting on coastal rocks or drifting on the open water.

When mating season begins, a hopeful male picks up a small twig or stone and offers it to a female as a kind of gift. Then the real performance starts. He stretches his wings and tail upward and points his long bill toward the sky. With a series of high steps, he lifts each bright blue foot in an exaggerated march, making sure the female gets a good look.

While dancing, the male may let out a soft whistle. If the female is interested, she might respond with a honking call and even join in with a few steps of her own. The deeper the blue on his feet, the better his chances. That rich color signals good health and strong genetics, which the female looks for in a mate. If she approves of both the dance and the dancer, the pair may stay together for several breeding seasons, sometimes even longer.

After mating, the female lays two or three eggs directly on the ground, often in a shallow dip. As the pair stays close, droppings build up around the site, forming a pale ring that loosely marks the nest. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs, but instead of a brood patch like many birds have, they rely on their warm feet to keep the eggs heated. Those vivid blue feet, once used to win over a mate, now serve a second purpose: keeping their chicks-to-be alive.

The eggs hatch after about 41 to 45 days, usually a few days apart. That gives the first chick a noticeable head start. Early on, the male often gathers more food while the female stays behind to guard and warm the chicks. As the chicks grow hungrier, both parents take turns hunting and feeding. They provide meals of regurgitated fish, which the young eat straight from the adult’s mouth.

Not all hatchlings make it. When food is limited, the stronger chick may outcompete its sibling, sometimes leaving only one to thrive. This tough tradeoff increases the odds that at least one will survive to maturity. Those who do stay with their parents for about two months. As they grow, they shed their white fluff, grow flight feathers, and eventually take off on their own to begin life at sea.

What’s on the menu for a Blue-footed Booby? Mostly small fish like anchovies, sardines, mackerel, and flying fish. By early morning, these agile seabirds are already scanning the water for schools of prey. When one spots a target, it tucks in its wings and dives headfirst from heights of 20 to 30 meters, or about 65 to 100 feet. Some dives reach speeds close to 60 miles per hour, fast enough to seriously injure a bird not built for the impact.

But the Blue-footed Booby is made for this kind of plunge. Air sacs in its skull act like shock absorbers, protecting its brain during each strike. Its nostrils remain sealed, and it breathes through the sides of its mouth to keep water out. Once underwater, it uses strong wing strokes to chase fish down to depths between 8 and 25 meters, or 25 to 80 feet, moving with the speed and precision of a torpedo.

These birds often hunt in coordinated groups. When one spots a shimmering shoal near the surface, it may call out to the others. Soon, dozens follow, plunging together into the water. Afterward, they surface with fish in their bills, bobbing among the waves.

Once the hunt is over, the flock often settles on rocky perches or drifts on the open sea. There, they rest, preen, and digest before the next foraging flight. With an ocean full of prey and plenty of company, Blue-footed Boobies turn feeding into a communal affair.

Blue-footed Boobies gather in breeding colonies that can include just a few pairs or hundreds of birds nesting side by side. On islands like North Seymour in the Galápagos, these colonies bustle with calls, foot shuffles, and the occasional squabble over space.

Males whistle in a thin, high pitch, while females respond with deeper, raspier honks. Each voice is unique, helping mates find each other after time apart. In a crowd of lookalikes, that constant chatter helps keep pairs connected.

To stay cool in the tropical heat, they sometimes defecate on their own feet. This behavior, known as urohydrosis, helps them lower their body temperature through evaporation. They also flutter the skin around their throat, a method called gular fluttering, to cool off without needing to move much.