Red Footed Booby Birds - Of Belize

Found only on Half Moon Caye, they live there for about 10 months of the year.  Nesting starts around mid-December and the young hatch around March. Chicks are full grown in a matter of months and then its off to the open sea. Flying fish are their favorite food, caught at night when the fish are nearer the surface. Most of Half Moon's Boobies are white, instead of the more normal brown color found in and around the Caribbean.

In 1928, part of Half Moon Caye was reserved by the crown, as a bird sanctuary under the Crown Land Ordinance to protect the habitat of the Red-footed Booby.  It is Belize’s oldest site designated for protection of wildlife.  Over 120 different species of birds can be seen on Half Moon Caye.

The Half Moon Caye colony is made up of about 4,000+ birds nests, amidst Orange-flowered Ziricote trees.  Red-footed Boobies prefer Orange-flowered Ziricote trees for nest building and raising chicks.  In return, the booby colony supports the forest’s stability by providing guano as fertilizer.  This beautiful relationship will endure for many years to come if left relatively undisturbed.

On Half Moon Caye, the bird population is almost entirely made up of white-colored birds with black on the railing edge of their wings.  The Red-footed Booby, unlike other seabirds, displays a variety of color morphs. Elsewhere they are dull brown. Look carefully, somewhere in the crowd you may see a white-tailed brown morph or a Red-footed Booby that is entirely brown. Despite plumage differences, all adults have the characteristic red feet.

The Red-footed Booby and Magnificent Frigatebird share a unique relationship, they have both reside together peacefully in nesting colonies on land.  Conflicts occur over the open sea, when the Magnificent Frigatedbird chases and attacks the Red Footed Booby Bird to give up its food.  The Red-footed Booby has learned to dive, catch its food and swallow it almost immediately before the Magnificent Frigatebird has a chance to steal it from them.  This behavior of stealing food is called kleptoparasitism.

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Half Moon Caye - Lighthouse Reef Atoll

The Half Moon Caye Natural Monument (HMCNM) is located at the southeast corner of Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Lighthouse Reef Atoll is the furthest of Belize’s three atolls from the mainland, and one of only four such atolls in the Western Hemisphere. The atoll is an asymmetric rimmed platform, entirely surrounded by a fringing reef rising to the surface. Inside this fringing reef is a lagoon speckled with hundreds of coral patches which is known for its high density and diversity of corals and fishes.