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Brown Booby

Brown Booby

Sula leucogaster

Audubon Illustration

Audubon illustration of Brown Booby

John James Audubon, Birds of America (1827-1838). Public domain.

Migration Flyway

Showing primary migration corridor(s) for this species

Last Spotted Near You

View on eBirdWikipedia

About the Brown Booby

The brown booby (Sula leucogaster) is a large seabird in the booby and gannet family Sulidae, of which it is one of the most common and widespread species. It has a pantropical range, which overlaps with that of other booby species. The gregarious brown booby commutes and forages at low height over inshore waters. Flocks plunge-dive to take small fish, especially when these are driven near the surface by their predators. They nest only on the ground, and roost on solid objects rather than the water surface.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name
Sula leucogaster
Family
Boobies and Gannets
Order
Suliformes

Similar species

Other members of the boobies and gannets family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

  • Blue-footed Booby Sula nebouxii
  • Cocos Booby Sula brewsteri
  • Masked Booby Sula dactylatra
  • Nazca Booby Sula granti
  • Northern Gannet Morus bassanus
  • Red-footed Booby Sula sula

Know when the Brown Booby turns up near you

Add it to your watchlist and draw an alert zone around the places you actually bird. Birdr checks eBird reports and tells you when one is seen inside it.

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Gear for spotting Brown Booby

Optics

Best Binoculars for Beginners

You don't need to spend a fortune. These four pairs will get you birding confidently on day one.

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Cameras

Cameras for Bird Photography

From phone adapters to dedicated rigs, here's what actually works for capturing birds in the field.

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Optics

Spotting Scopes for Distance Birding

Essential for shorebirds, raptors, and anything too far for binoculars. Our tested picks.

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