brown booby

A’o

The Brown Booby is brown with a white underside and a yellowish beak. It has a wingspan that ranges from 132 to 150 cm which it uses to dive from a dozen meters up in the air to catch prey. It even pursues fish while under water using its webbed feet and wings to swim. Year-round, nests are usually made in groups but my occasionally be isolated. The egg is yellowish, measure about 6.4 by 4.6 cm, and laid directly in the sand. Both the male and the female incubate the single egg for 43 to 47 days before a chick is born and is raised for about 120 days. On occasion, the Brown Booby lays 2 eggs as insurance. If the second egg hatches, the firstborn kills the second in order to ensure it receives sufficient food.These birds have been observed in all the northern motu and Tahuna iti in the southern half. In 2014, 50 couples were estimated in Tetiaroa.