Nazca Booby
Photo: propia. · Public domain

Boobies and Gannets

Nazca Booby

Sula granti

LCLeast Concern
Family
Boobies and Gannets (Sulidae)
Order
Suliformes

Overview

The Nazca booby (Sula granti) is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae, native to the eastern Pacific. First described by Walter Rothschild in 1902, it was long considered a subspecies of the masked booby until recognised as distinct genetically and behaviorally in 2002. It has a typical sulid body shape, with a long pointed orange-yellow bill, long neck, aerodynamic body, long slender wings and pointed tail. The adult is bright white with black and white wings, a black tail and a dark face mask.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Breeds islands off western Mexico (Revillagigedo and Clipperton islands), Cocos Islands (off Costa Rica), Isla Malpelo (off Colombia), Galapagos, Isla de la Plata (off Ecuador), and Lobos de Afuera (off northwestern Peru); ranges mainly to coastal Baja California (northwestern Mexico) and Pacific coast of Central America.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.