Sulidae – Gannets, Boobies | Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus

Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) by Ian

If you come across a bird’s nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. (Deuteronomy 22:6 ESV)
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip. (Psalms 18:36 KJV)

CLASS – AVES, Order – SULIFORMES, Family – Sulidae – Gannets, Boobies

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Latest I.O.C. Version
Species (10)

Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)
Cape Gannet (Morus capensis)
Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator)
Abbott’s Booby (Papasula abbotti)
Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii)
Peruvian Booby (Sula variegata)
Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra)
Nazca Booby (Sula granti)
Red-footed Booby (Sula sula)
Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster)

On the photos or slides, a “by” indicates one of the photographers or videographers, who have given their permission, with links on our sidebar. Please visit their site to see many more fantastic shots, a “©©” copyright symbol indicates a photo from Creative Commons and ©WikiC is a Creative Commons photo from Wikipedia.

Photographers or Videographers used on this page from our sidebar, Photography, are:
Bob & Nan’s Gallery
Ian Montgomery’s Birdway
Keith Blomerley – Videographer
William Kwong’s Galleries

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Articles Mentioning Birds From This Family:

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Masked Booby
The Blue-footed Booby – The Stupid Fellas by aj mithra
Avian and Attributes – Nazca Booby

Other Websites that have photos of this Family:

Sulidae – OBI
Gannets and Boobies (Sulidae) – IBC
Sulidae – Wikipedia
Sulidae – Le quide ornitho

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The bird family Sulidae comprises the gannets and boobies. Collectively called sulids, they are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish and similar prey. The ten species in this family are often considered congeneric in older sources, placing all in the genus Sula. However, Sula (true boobies) and Morus (gannets) can be readily distinguished by morphological and behavioral and DNA sequence characters. Abbott’s Booby (Papasula) is given its own genus as it stands apart from both in these respects. It appears to be a distinct and ancient lineage, maybe closer to the gannets than to the true boobies.

They have stout legs and webbed feet, with the web connecting all four toes. In some species the webs are brightly colored and used in courtship displays. The bill is usually conspicuously colored, long, deep at the base, and pointed, with saw-like edges. The upper mandible curves down slightly at the tip and can be moved upward to accept large prey. To keep water out during plunges, the nostrils enter into the bill rather than opening to the outside directly. The eyes are angled forward, and provide a wider field of binocular vision than in most other birds.(Wikipedia with editing)