Expert: Julia Booth - 11/16/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi Julia,

I was on vacation in the south Caribbean when I took this picture (it was off the coast of Saint Lucia).  I saw a lot of these large birds, and could not make a positive ID.  I know what I thought they looked like, but the coloration made me doubt my thoughts.

Any clue?  These birds would circle around over the waves, and then dive straight down into the water and come up with a fish or a sea snake.

Many thanks!

Warmest regards,

Bill

ANSWER: That is a Masked Booby.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masked_booby

Excellent shot.


Julia

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Julia,

Many thanks!  I had thought it was a cormorant of some sort.  There were also many brown and white birds with similar shapes.  Would they also be some member of the booby family?

Again, thanks very much for solving the mystery for me.

Warm regards,

Bill

Answer
There are Blue Footed, Red Footed and Brown Boobies. Another similar bird is the Gannet. I'm not sure if they are found in the Caribbean.

You might be able to find a Caribbean list here:
http://printablebirdchecklists.homestead.com/

But their bird population is very variable. They get a lot of migrants and accidentals.


Julia