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South China Sea - Boobies (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter AlanR
- Start date
lostinjapan
Well-known member
I'd agree with Mike
The bird in the picture is a near adult 'white-morph' Red-footed Booby.
Pale Blue-footed Booby can be ruled out by
1) the lack of streaking on the head on this bird which appears a little yellow in fact,
2)pink rather than blue at the bill base,
3)white rump, mantle and forewing with balck restricted to primaries and secondaries
4) Red rather than blue feet
Anyway this species is geographically unlikely being restricted to the Pacif coast of the Americas
Masked/Blue-faced can be ruled out by
1) lack of black face mask
2) lack of small black area on the scapulars
3) Lack of white primary spot
4) Pale bluish bill..as oppossed to the yellow bill of masked
5) Red rather than black feet
6) Yellow lores and throat as oppossed to all white of Masked
Abbots can be ruled out by
1) Bluish rather pinkish bill with dark tip of Abbots
2) More extensive white on mantle than Abbots thin white line
3) All black primaries and secondaries as opposed to to the all dark wing of Abbots, with the exception of a white leading edge and white spotting on top of secondaries and white shafts on the primaries
4) All pale rump and not lightly spotted rump of Abbots
5) red and not pale pink-grey legs of Abbots
Anyway Abbots is incredibly rare and restricted to Xmas Island with only 2-3000 pairs, while Masked only reaches the Indian Ocean and the East China Sea ...leaving only Red-footed and Brown Booby as the only regularly occurring boobies in the South China Sea.
Interestingly it has a dark tail which would suggest that it might come from the Galapagos population according to my rather ut of date Harrison..but I guess there are birds in the Indian Ocean or South China Sean which also have dark tails.
I didn't bother to mention the underwing pattern as you can't see it on the pics of the bird.
Hope that helps clinch it.
Sean
The bird in the picture is a near adult 'white-morph' Red-footed Booby.
Pale Blue-footed Booby can be ruled out by
1) the lack of streaking on the head on this bird which appears a little yellow in fact,
2)pink rather than blue at the bill base,
3)white rump, mantle and forewing with balck restricted to primaries and secondaries
4) Red rather than blue feet
Anyway this species is geographically unlikely being restricted to the Pacif coast of the Americas
Masked/Blue-faced can be ruled out by
1) lack of black face mask
2) lack of small black area on the scapulars
3) Lack of white primary spot
4) Pale bluish bill..as oppossed to the yellow bill of masked
5) Red rather than black feet
6) Yellow lores and throat as oppossed to all white of Masked
Abbots can be ruled out by
1) Bluish rather pinkish bill with dark tip of Abbots
2) More extensive white on mantle than Abbots thin white line
3) All black primaries and secondaries as opposed to to the all dark wing of Abbots, with the exception of a white leading edge and white spotting on top of secondaries and white shafts on the primaries
4) All pale rump and not lightly spotted rump of Abbots
5) red and not pale pink-grey legs of Abbots
Anyway Abbots is incredibly rare and restricted to Xmas Island with only 2-3000 pairs, while Masked only reaches the Indian Ocean and the East China Sea ...leaving only Red-footed and Brown Booby as the only regularly occurring boobies in the South China Sea.
Interestingly it has a dark tail which would suggest that it might come from the Galapagos population according to my rather ut of date Harrison..but I guess there are birds in the Indian Ocean or South China Sean which also have dark tails.
I didn't bother to mention the underwing pattern as you can't see it on the pics of the bird.
Hope that helps clinch it.
Sean
lostinjapan
Well-known member
Just realized in one pic the tail appears white and in the other black..guess the dark tail in the second photo must be a trick of the light..suggesting it didn't make it from all the way across the Pacific, but as is more likely came from the South China Sea or Indian Ocean.
