Friends of Midway Atoll

National Wildlife Refuge

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Boobies & Frigatebirds

Masked Booby – ‘A (Sula dactylatra)

Masked Booby Pair
Photo credit: Daniel Clark/USFWS
  • Life Span: > 20 years
  • Wingspan: 152 cm (62 in)
  • Breeding Ecology
    • Breeds in Main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and throughout tropical regions of Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans
    • 2 eggs/clutch (only 1 chick survives); 1 clutch/year (replacement laying occurs)
    • Masked Boobies nest in small numbers at Midway; historical data suggest they were never particularly numerous; generally fewer than five nesting attempts per year
  • Boobies lack a brood patch and incubate with their feet.
  • Learn more

Brown Booby – ‘A (Sula leucogaster)

Brown Booby
Photo credit: Forest & Kim Starr
  • Life Span: > 20 years
  • Wingspan: 132-155 cm (52-61 in)
  • Breeding Ecology:
    • Pantropical breeding range
    • 2 eggs/clutch (only 1 chick survives); 1 clutch/year (replacement laying occurs)
    • Incubation lasts 42-45 days; chicks fledge after 100 days
  • Populations worldwide have declined dramatically over the past 200 years and may be at only 10% of historic levels.
  • Brown Boobies were the most common booby species at Midway in the 1930s but declined quickly with the introduction of rats (Rattus rattus).
  • Learn more

Red-footed Booby – ‘A (Sula sula)

Red-footed Booby
Photo credit: Daniel Clark/USFWS
  • Life Span: > 20 years
  • Wingspan: 91-101 cm (36-40 in); smallest of the boobies
  • Breeding Ecology:
    • Breeds throughout Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, and Indian Oceans
    • Colonial tree nester in association with Great Frigatebirds
    • Only booby to nest almost exclusively in shrubs and trees
    • Male brings sticks to the female for nest site construction
    • 1 egg/clutch; 1 clutch/year
    • Incubation lasts about 45 days; chicks fledge after 95-100 days
  • Learn more

Great Frigatebird – ‘Iwa (Fregata minor)

Great Frigatebird
Photo credit: Daniel Clark/USFWS
  • Life Span: > 25 years
  • Wingspan: 206-230 cm (81-91 in)
  • Breeding Ecology:
    • Male “lek” display
    • Pantropical breeding range
    • Colonial tree nester
    • 1 egg/clutch; 1 clutch/1.5 years
    • Up to 450 days before fledging
  • Lacks ability to take off from water.
  • Obtains some food by piracy from other birds.
  • Highly specialized for an aerial life, having a greater ratio of wing area to body mass than any other bird, a deeply forked tail for agile maneuvering, and very small legs and feet (which make walking impractical).
  • The Hawaiian name for the species “‘Iwa” means “thief.” But frigatebirds catch the majority of their meals without stealing. They fly along the ocean waiting for a flying fish to break the  surface, or catch fish and squid swimming within several centimeters below the surface.
  • Females do not breed every year because it takes 1½ years to raise a chick. Males are believed to breed every year (with a second female). Fidelity to nest sites and mates is low.
  • Learn more

More bird photos

GOONEY GAZETTES

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From the Blog

Tribute to Volunteer Shirley Doell

April 10, 2020

BETWEEN THE BATTLES

November 1, 2019

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