Birders It is great that some detailed photos of this bird have been obtained. It appears to be an adult female which I think may makes identifying it to the "subspecies" a bit challenging. This may be quite important as Brown Booby is regarded as several sibling species by many seabird experts with S.l. brewsteri (Gulf of California breeding) being quite distinct (at least the males) and a very good candidate for species status. Given the very unusual movements of boobies in the SW this year this seems like a more likely bet than the nominate subspecies S.l leucogaster from the Caribbean- but who is to say. A brief search on the net and the standard references was not very helpful in differentiating the females of the two likely subspecies candidates. I will see if I can get some more info on this. Great bird.
Kirk Zufelt www.pelagicodyssey.ca _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup
