Brown Booby

The brown booby is a large, streamlined tropical seabird 76–84 cm long, with a wingspan around 140–150 cm. Adults have a chocolate-brown head, neck and upperparts sharply divided from a white belly; the pointed bill is yellowish and the long wings and wedge-shaped tail are dark. Females are slightly larger than males. Young birds are browner below and may appear almost uniformly dark, but their heavy pointed bill and characteristic booby shape remain evident (Audubon; New Zealand Birds Online).

Found across tropical and subtropical oceans, it nests colonially on predator-free rocky or sandy islands and coral atolls. Birds soar while searching, then plunge at varying angles and swim underwater after fish, squid, shrimp and prawns; they also pursue flying fish or follow tuna schools. A rough ground nest holds one to three eggs, though one or two are usual. Both parents incubate for 42–45 days and later feed the helpless chick by regurgitation (Cornell Lab of Ornithology).