Brown Booby on a buoy (00005291)

Description: The Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) is a large seabird of the gannet family. The adult brown booby reaches about 76 cm. (30 in.) in length. Its head and upper body are covered in dark brown, with the remainder being a contrasting white. This species breeds on islands and coasts in the pantropical areas of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They frequent the breeding grounds of the islands in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Brown Boobies are spectacular divers, plunging into the ocean at high speed. They mainly eat small fish or squid which gather in groups near the surface and may catch leaping fish while skimming the surface.

Location: Hawaiian Islands, Midway, USA

Date of Capture: 19.07.2001