Galapagos Islands - Part 2
Birds of the Galapagos
What comes to mind when you think of birds you would see in the Galapagos Islands? For me, what came to mine was the male frigate bird with the inflated red throat.
There are many unique bird species here, this is in part due to the isolation and unique ecosystems found in the Galapagos Islands. Birds are found nesting on many of the islands, however, some birds only nest on a single or a few islands, as is the case for boobies. We were scheduled to go to Genovesa Island on our second day of our cruise where a colony of Red footed boobies are located, however, the entire Genovesa Island has been quarantined due to the presence of avian influenza H5N1. Also quarantined is Punta Pitt on San Cristobal Island. These quarantined areas are being closely monitored by park rangers and biosecurity agents hoping to mitigate and prevent further spread to other bird species in the islands.
While we did not get to go to Genovesa Island, we did go to North Seymour Island which had so many Blue-footed boobies and great and magnificent Frigate birds. When we first stepped onto North Seymour Island and got our first glimpses of flying Frigate birds, I was so excited to see them and took so many photos thinking I might not see very many. I was so wrong, they were everywhere flying and nesting along the walking path! They just sat there doing their mating dances in the case of the Blue-footed Boobies or inflating their red pouches in the case of the Frigate birds. We later went to Buccaneer Bay Santiago Island and saw our first sightings of the Nazca Booby. Though there are three species of boobies living in the Galapagos Islands, there is no single island where all three species live together. While we were touring the along the coastline in our panga boat we saw a Galapagos Hawk soaring high above. We also saw many other birds on our visits to the different Islands including Galapagos Finches, swallowtail gulls, Lava Herons, Galapagos Mockingbirds and so many more. I was able to take great photos of some of the birds with my iPhone, but John got so many beautiful shots with his camera many of which you will see below.
Blue-Footed Booby.
The Blue-Footed Booby population has been in decline for several years. They are famous due to their baby blue feet and their unique mating dance. Their wings are brown and they have white bellies. The heads are tan with white streaks, with a blue-gray beak with yellow eyes on either side giving them great binocular vision. Blue-footed boobies lay 1-3 eggs each mating season.
Frigate bird
The frigate birds are a uniquely colorful bird. There are two types we saw while we're on North Seymour Island, the magnificent frigate bird and the great frigate bird. The males are the most distinctive with their long hooked beak and inflated red throats, called gular pouch, that are red and inflated for courting females. The feathers of their backs are appear black, but when viewed up close, the feathers actually have an iridescent green or purple sheen. They are distinctive when flying as they have deeply forked tail feathers. They mate for the season and only lay a single egg each mating season. They eat primarily fish that are chased to the surface by other predators below, but they are also known to harass other sea birds until they drop their catch, then the frigate bird will steal the other birds meal.. Their feathers are not waterproof and therefore they cannot dive into the ocean to catch their own fish, and may resort to stealing from other sea birds.
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| Male and Female Frigate Bird mates |
Nazca Booby
We found a colony of Nazca Boobies nesting on a rock near Buccaneer Cove, Santiago Island. It is a predominantly white bird with black tipped wings and tail and gray feet. The beak is orange and there is an area of black around the eyes that looks like a mask.
Flightless Cormorants
The flightless cormorants are just that, flightless. They have very small wings and have lost the ability to fly. They have webbed feet and long necks. We found these cormorants in Tagus Cove on Isabella Island just hanging out with Galapagos Penguins. As you can see from the photos, their wing are very small compared to their bodies.
Swallow-tailed Gull
With its red legs and red ring around its eye, the swallowtail gull is very recognizable. It is also the only nocturnal gull in the world.
Storm Petrel
The storm petrel is an unusual bird that caught all of our attention as they seemed to be walking on water. Not a lot is know about this bird, but they are a small bird predominantly brown to black with areas of white striping. Their webbed feet help them to glide along the surface of the water appearing to walk on the water.
Flamingo
We were lucky enough to see one American flamingo in Bachas Beach on Santa Cruz Island. There are only a few flamingos in the Galapagos Islands currently. They have the characteristic salmon pink feathers with long neck and legs.
Black-Necked Stilt
The black-necked stilt is a funny looking bird with long pink legs. The wings and head are black with a white body and tail and a long black beak. There is also a small white patch above the eye. They are found in very shallow waters close to shore.
Galapagos Hawk
The galapagos hawk is a large hawk found throughout the islands. It is top of the food chain but is considered to be a vulnerable population. Its wingspan can be greater than 3 feet.
Darwin's Finches
Darwin's Finches are actually a group of 17 different species of small land birds in the Galapagos Islands. They have a variety of beak shapes and sizes adapted for their food and seed types. This category of birds were made famous by Charles Darwin.
Mockingbird
This is a grayish smallish bird with a long tail, curved beak and black mask around the eyes. They are omnivores eating small lizards, bugs and fruits.
Lava Herons
The lava heron is a common wading bird found throughout the Galapagos Islands predominantly along lava coastlines, lagoons and mangroves.
Other Birds:
We sow many other birds as well. We saw oystercatchers, galapagos doves, yellow warblers, pelicans and egrets, just to name a few.
Who could forget the queen butterflies...
Fun Fact I didn't know before I visited: The Blue-footed booby feet have baby/sky blue coloring due to its diet of fresh fish and the carotenoid pigments in their skin.
We hope you enjoyed the photos of the birds the Galapagos Islands we (mostly John) were able to capture. If you enjoyed this post, stay tuned for Part 3 in this series, Galapagos Giant Tortoises, Iguanas and more.
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