Nazca Booby (Sula granti)

Identification & Behavior: ~86.5 cm (34 in). The Nazca Booby is all white with pointed black wings and tail. It has a dark grey face mask. Juveniles are gray on the head, neck, and upperparts. The belly is dirty white. The Nazca Booby is very similar to Masked Booby, but it is distinguished by a pale salmon bill color (Masked Booby has a pale yellow bill).  Also, most Nazca Boobies have white central tail feathers. All Masked Boobies have solid black tails.

Status: The Nazca Booby was formerly regarded as a subspecies of the Masked Booby but is now recognized as a separate species. It breeds on the Islands of Lobos de Tierra and Lobos de Afuera in Northern Peru. The species also breeds on Ecuadorian Islands and the Galapagos Archipelago. It also occurs in Co and Ec.

Name in Spanish: Piquero de Nazca.

Sub-species: Nazca Booby (Sula granti) Rothschild, 1902.

Meaning of Name: Sula: Is a Norwegian name for a gannet or booby. granti: In honor of English Ornithologist and collector Claude Grant. A booby named after Ornithologist Claude Grant.

See more of the Family Sulidae