Masked booby

Ua'ao, Kena, Uakao

The masked booby is able to dive more than several tens of meters in height to catch a fish. It feeds mainly on flying fish and squid. The Kena nests on the ground in scattered colonies, often on the beach in windy places. During the breeding season the parents incubate 2 eggs, laid 6 days apart, but will only care for one during hatching. The male has a bright yellow beak, while it is green-yellow in the female.

Tetiaroa now boasts a resident masked booby family. The happy couple hatched 2 chicks in October in their nesting area in the northern part of motu Hiraanae.