Page 37 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE Vol 3

A great frigatebird attacks a swallow-tailed gull to disgorge its catch, South Plaza Islanddarker, indicating that she is ready to mate. Both sexes begin the ritual by facing each other and taking turns doing a well known dance, lifting one foot at a time. They then perform “skypointing”, pointing their tail and beak vertically upwards and half opening their wings, which is the highlight of courtship.In contrast to their romantic ritual, blue-footed boobies are efficient predators. They feed by swiftly plunging from a height of around 15 metres and folding their wings to become an arrow-like object ready to strike a fish in the sea – as shown in the photos.Another species of sea bird that shows a spectacular courtship display is the great frigatebird, which is about114 cm in length and has a wingspan of about 230 cm. During the breeding season, several males sit close together, inflating their red throat pouches as large as possible while lifting their heads and spreading their wings out at full length in a competition to attract females. When a female has chosen a male, she sits next to the male of her choice, while the disappointed males leave to attract other females.The great frigatebird’s affectionate gesture in selecting a mate is in contrast to its piratical habits of feeding. It feeds on a variety of food, including fish, small crustaceans and newly hatched green sea turtles, and many times by attacking smaller birds such as swallow-tailed gulls,blue-footed boobies or red-billed tropicbirds, forcing them to disgorge their recent catch and snatching the catch before it hits the water.Another booby species found in the Galapagos is the Nazca booby, having a length of 92 cm and a wingspan of 155 cm. It feeds mostly on fish, which it catches by plunge diving further offshore. Their courtship display is less elaborate than the blue-footed booby’s but as affectionate and impressive as shown in the photo. Nazca boobies are mostly found on the island of Española.The Galapagos flamingo, 130 cm in height with striking pink plumage, is endemic to the Galapagos and found in large numbers on the island of Floreana. It feeds on a variety of food,Elite+ 35