Peruvian Booby

Sula variegata (Tschudi, 1843)

Peruvian Booby, Sula variegata, breeds along the Pacific coast of South America from northern Peru to central Chile, and outside the breeding season it reaches coastal Ecuador. It is tied to the Humboldt Current and is a seabird of the Peruvian coast. The bird has brown upperparts, with a white head and underparts, and the wings show white mottling above with pale-tipped coverts that give a scaled look. It also has a long grey bill and grey webbed feet. It is the most numerous seabird on the Peruvian coast and a major guano producer.

Order

Suliformes

Family

Sulidae — Gannets, Boobies

Breeding range

South America: coastal n Peru to c Chile

Nonbreeding range

to coastal Ecuador