14 November 2009

Blue-footed Boobie


The feet are probably used for courtship displays. I can't think of any other practical reason for the coloration.

Found at Pixdaus.

Addendum: Video of the dance of the blue-footed boobies.

4 comments:

  1. Another reason may be that very bright coloration is often a warning to predators that the organism is poisonous. Non-poisonous organisms will sometimes mimic this signal.

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  2. They might be blue to camouflage them as the bird floats in the water. I can imagine a bird's foot and everything attached to it might be a tasty morsel for a submerged predator.

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  3. ...i want to thank you for your work. You have done really very good site. Great work, great site! Thank you! :P

    The Blue Footed Boobies do indeed use them for courtship displays. They do a sort of 'march' raising their legs and feet. Then I think the prospecting female(I think) joins in if satisfied by the display. The only reason I remember this, is because they were mentioned a lot on 'Galapagos' by Kurt Vonnegut :)

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  4. Ah... The March of the Blue-Footed Boobies. Sounds like a Laurel and Hardy movie.

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