Red-footed booby

Red footed boobies are the most common birds on North Keeling Island, with an estimated 30,000 breeding pairs calling the island home.

The smallest of the booby species, red-footed boobies grow to about 70 centimetres in length with a wingspan of up to one metre. They have red feet and a pink and blue bill and throat pouch.

North Keeling’s red-footed boobies were hunted by Cocos-Malay people through most of the 20th century, which saw the number of birds plummet. The species is now protected under law, resulting in a larger and much more stable population.

Pulu Keeling is one of the world’s most important red-footed booby colonies, as most other populations around the globe are threatened by habitat loss and feral predators. The red-footed boobies on North Keeling Island represent about 6% of the global population.