Blue-Footed Boobies Declining in the Galapagos

The population of blue-footed boobies (Sula nebouxii) - the seabirds with characteristically colorful feet - has been declining in the Galápagos islands. The birds' numbers have dropped more than 50 percent in less than 20 years, according to a study published Monday (April 21) in the journal Avian Conservation and Ecology. The researchers speculated that a lack of sardines, a source of food for the boobies, might be to blame for the decline. The researchers first noticed the decrease in the booby population in 1997. "Until 1997, there were literally thousands of boobies at these breeding sites, and hundreds of nests full of hatching chicks," study author Dave Anderson, a professor of biology at Wake Forest University, said in a statement.

Source: Seeker, April 26, 2017
https://www.seeker.com/blue-footed-boobies-declining-in-the-galapagos-1…