Abbott’s Booby
Papasula abbotti
- Family
- Boobies and Gannets (Sulidae)
- Order
- Suliformes
Overview
Abbott's booby (Papasula abbotti) is an endangered seabird of the sulid family, which includes gannets and boobies. It is a large booby and is placed within its own monotypic genus. It was first identified from a specimen collected by William Louis Abbott, who discovered it on Assumption Island in 1892.
Abbott's booby breeds only in a few spots on the Australian territory of Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, although it formerly had a much wider range.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds Christmas Island (east-central Indian Ocean), formerly also Assumption (Seychelles) and Mascarenes; subfossil remains from Solomon Islands eastward to Marquesas; ranges to near Java, Moluccas, and southwest of New Guinea.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Abbott's booby
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
Keep exploring
