These Unique Birds Are Quite The High Diving Masters

They got their name for one obvious reason - their feet are sporting a very distinctive, gorgeous shade of blue! The blue-footed boobies are masters of the art of diving, virtually unparalleled in all of Galapagos. These incredible birds are able to dive to a remarkable depth of 100 feet below the sea surface if necessary.

The blue-footed boobies are so skillful when it comes to their hunting tactics, making them a true treat to witness in action. They either hunt alone, in pairs or as a part of a larger flock, like the birds in this video. Some birds in the flock act as “spotters”, that signal to others when they have spotted a larger group of fish in the water. When the other get the cue, they all dive like a barrage of arrows in the water, accompanied by a battle cry that chills the blood in our veins.

Since their main course is fish, seeing the boobies mid hunt might not be so difficult. All you have to do is go by the shore! They hunt for small fish mostly, species that travel in schools like mackerel, sardines and anchovies, even flying fish.

As for the second part of their name, ‘booby’ comes from the Spanish word "bobo", meaning "stupid", "foolish", or "clown", because just like all the other seabirds, even the blue-footed booby is clumsy on land. They are also regarded as foolish for their apparent lack of fear of humans. Another thing blue-footed boobies have in common with other seabirds is the risk from plastic pollution, including eating micro-plastics and getting tangled in larger pieces.