July 6-17, 2010 -- Birds of Islas de Aves, Venezuela

             
Aves de Barlavento        Aves de Sotavento

Click on a thumbnail for a map during this time period

Brown Boobys

There are two phases of the Brown Booby.  The adult has blackish brown head, neck, upperparts, tail and upper breast, sharply divided from white lower breast and rest of underparts.   Legs are pale yellow; bill straw yellow, facial skin pale yellow.   Immature are brown above and below, but paler brown lower underparts, with line of demarcation on the breast.  They nest on ledges or on the ground, so the young shown below in the Red-footed section are indeed young Red-footed.

Adult phase

Dead Brown Booby floating beak down in a small cove

Juvenile bird ...

... too young to show "immature" markings

Red-footed Boobys

There are several morphs of the Red-footed Booby.   Three are present in the Venezuelan out-islands.   The morphs are not all connected with age.   There is a morph that is all white save for black flight feathers.  There is a brown morph save for white abdomen, rump and tail.   And there is a brown morph that is generally all brown.   All morphs sport red legs and toes; bill and gular pouch are pink and blue.

Brown morph w/ white rump and tail

White morph w/ black flight feathers

White morph in courting posture

Brown morph is the object of his attention ...

... but she is less than swept off her perch

Close-up of white morph's face

Face of brown morph

Colors extend to the inside!

Other

Frigate

Green Heron

Least Tern

Oyster Catcher

Black-necked Stilt

Pelican (brown on back of neck says "in the mood for love")

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