Galapagos Islands
Galapagos birds
Birds are faithbul, ever-present company during a visit to the Galapagos. There are 58 resident bird species on the Galapagos, of which 28 are endemic, and over 30 other migrant species regularly visit the islands. During a week of touring the islands, most careful observers will see a good 40 species of birds.
Galapagos Sea birds
Blue Footed Booby: Is perhaps the most famous Galapagos sea bird and is often the first booby seen by visitors. A tropical seabird with famous bright blue webbed feet, a brown and white-streaked head, blue-grey facial skin, and a solid white body, it may approach 1.5 meters in wingspan.
Red Footed Booby: Is the smallest of the Galapagos boobies and is readily distinguished by its red feet and its blue bill. Although it's the most numerous of the Galapagos boobies, it is found only on the outer islands and is therefore infrequently seen.
Masked booby: Is pure white with ablack band at the edges of its wings and the end of its tail. A blackish area of bare skin sorrounds its bill, giving the apperarnce of a face mask. They often nest near cliff tops to give themselves and advantage when taking off.
Frigate birds: Are one of the oldest species of bird, with a development ranging back 50 million years. Both species of frigate birds found in the archipelago: the magnificent frigate bird and the grat frigate bird, make their acrobatic living by aerial piracy, often harassing smaller birds into dropping or regurgitating their catch an them swooping to catch the booty in midair.
Cormorants: The flightless cormorant is the only flightless seabird in the world, and it is endemic to the Galapagos. Its ancestors were almost certainly able to fly, but when they reached the Galapagos, the found no predators in the rocky shallows were they fed.
Penguins: The most northerly penguin the world the Galapagos Penguin and it can survive on the islands thanks to the cool Humbolt current flowing from Antarctica. They normally breed in the western parts of Isabela and Fernandina, although a small colony is often seen at Bartolome Island. continues...
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Galapagos land birds
More to land birds are small size perching birds with feet well adapted for this purpose...
