A red-footed booby that nests in trees and shrubs on tropical islands.
Adults have red feet, while plumage occurs in several forms, including white and brown.
On Europa Island in the Mozambique Channel, researchers followed newly fledged red-footed boobies for about a month. The share of flights over the sea rose across three successive 12-day periods, from 20% to 30% and then 45%. Early departures were often large groups of juveniles; later, more young birds left alone.
Juvenile travel distance rose from an average of 47 km to 68 km, while adult trips averaged 178 km. Young birds were associated with other juveniles on 54% of recorded tracks. During the first two weeks after fledging, parents fed young an average of 1.38 times a day. By about 80 days, feeding had fallen to 0.10 a day; an opportunistic check at day 155 found no juveniles on nests.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
At the 2014 study site, the breeding colony occupied dry Euphorbia forest in the north of Europa Island, and fledglings made foraging flights over nearby waters. This local record highlights nesting forest and adjacent sea as areas relevant to monitoring. The study does not provide a current global category, assessment date, or species-wide population trend.