The Red-footed Booby (Sula sula) is the smallest of the three booby species found in the Galápagos, yet it's the most numerous, with large colonies nesting on islands like Genovesa and San Cristóbal. As its name suggests, it's easily identified by its bright red feet, along with a blue-and-pink bill base, though its plumage is notably variable, ranging from a white morph to a brown morph, with the brown form being more common in the Galápagos population. Unlike its Blue-footed and Nazca relatives, the Red-footed Booby is the only booby species that nests in trees and shrubs rather than on the ground, using its grasping red feet to perch securely on branches. It's also the most pelagic of the boobies, foraging far out at sea—sometimes over a hundred miles from the colony—where it plunge-dives for flying fish and squid, often hunting at night when these prey species rise closer to the surface. Highly social, these birds nest in dense colonies and are known for their relatively gentle, approachable nature, making them a favorite sighting for visitors to their remote breeding islands.
