Brown Booby

About the Brown Booby

A large, powerful seabird of tropical waters, the adult Brown Booby is a striking study in contrast - deep chocolate-brown over the head, back, and chest, cut off sharply against a clean white belly, with a yellowish bill and feet. Long-winged and heavy-bodied, it is an accomplished plunge-diver.

Brown Boobies fold their wings and knife into the water after fish and squid, and they often rest on channel markers, buoys, jetties, and boats, sometimes allowing a close approach.

In Texas the Brown Booby has become an increasingly regular visitor to the Gulf coast and jetties, especially in the warmer months, where individuals loaf on pilings and structures and draw admiring looks from birders.

A note from behind the lens: a bird resting on a jetty piling or channel marker is your best chance for a frame. Approach slowly by boat or along the rocks, get to eye level, and let that crisp brown-and-white pattern stand out against the sea.