Masked Booby

Overview

The Masked Booby is the largest member of the booby family, sharing a general white-body, black-flight-feather pattern reminiscent of gannets, but distinguished by its black tail and dark facial mask surrounding the base of the bill.

It breeds on remote tropical islands worldwide and is a powerful plunge-diver, often foraging farther offshore than some of its smaller relatives.

Masked Booby feathers show a clean white-and-black pattern typical of the larger booby species.

• Body feathers: White overall, including the head, neck, back, and underparts.
• Flight feathers: Primaries and secondaries are black, contrasting sharply with the white body.
• Tail feathers: Black, distinguishing Masked Booby from the mostly white-tailed pattern of some Red-footed Booby morphs.
• Compared to Red-footed Booby (white morph): Masked Booby is notably larger overall and consistently shows a black tail, whereas the white-morph Red-footed Booby is smaller-bodied with the tail color sometimes appearing dark as well, making overall size the more reliable clue.
• Compared to Northern Gannet: Masked Booby shows a black tail, unlike the all-white tail of the Northern Gannet.

Adults are white overall with black primaries, secondaries, and tail feathers, along with a dark facial mask of bare skin around the base of the bill. Sexes look similar. Juveniles are mostly brown with a paler collar and belly, gradually molting into the crisp white adult pattern over a couple of years.

Masked Boobies breed on remote tropical and subtropical islands across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, nesting on open ground often near cliff edges or exposed terrain. They forage over open ocean, sometimes ranging farther from the colony than smaller booby species, and are highly pelagic outside the breeding season.

This booby feeds by powerful plunge-diving from considerable heights, targeting schooling fish and squid, often foraging alone or in small, loose groups rather than large flocks. Nesting occurs on bare ground, typically with two eggs laid though usually only one chick survives due to sibling competition. Calls include harsh honking or trumpeting notes given at breeding colonies, with some difference in pitch between the sexes.