Miranda Mattson
The Paw Print
Just last week, the rare Blue-Footed Booby appeared on several central and southern California coasts. There have been at least 30 sightings of the seabird from San Diego all the way up to Los Angeles, including Playa Del Rey, El Monte, Orange, and Ventura counties. The sightings have had bird watchers flocking to the Pacific coastline to catch a glimpse of the natural diver.
The Booby is native to the Central and South American continents, as well as the Galapagos Islands, and has been recorded to live as far down as Peru. The bird is brown and white with intensely blue feet and is known for its skills in diving, from heights of up to 80 feet, into the water to catch fish. The European settlers came up with the name “Booby” from the Spanish word “bobo” meaning stupid, since the bird is very clumsy on land.
The Blue-Footed Booby has not been spotted in Los Angeles County since 2007 and there hasn’t been this many in California since the 1970’s. The sudden flocking of the Boobies to southern California is still a mystery, but some scientists speculate that it could be a change in the food sources, climate change, or water pollution. The changes in the biology of the coastal waters have also contributed to the decline of sea lion pups and brown pelicans since 2010. Also, as an observer pointed out, it could be the result of the recent storms on the coast of Mexico that have forced the Boobies further north.
Most of the Boobies in California are juveniles and many are noticeably mal-nourished. One of the birds was found wandering through the streets of downtown Los Angeles and was “emaciated”. It is currently recovering at the International Bird Rescue Center in San Pedro, California.
Regardless of why the Boobies are here and how long they will stay, bird watchers are driving in from miles around to witness a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to see this bird in action.
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