Red-footed booby, Sula sula, photographed on Palmyra Atoll, located roughly in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (it's a territory of the United States).
Image: Nigella Hillgarth, 24 October 2010 [velociraptorize].
Nikon D80 and the lens: AF-SVR zoom-Nikor 70-300mm
Question: This individual is challenging to identify because it's a fluffy youngster still clad in its natal down. But this bird can be identified based on one character that sets it apart from its 20 relatives. What is that character and what species is this?
Response: This is a hatchling Red-footed booby, Sula sula. Because it is a baby, it lacks red in its feet and its bill has not yet gained its characteristic gray or blue colour. Despite this, it's the nest that this chick is sitting in that gives away its identity: unlike other booby species, which nest on the ground, only red-footed boobies make their nests in shrubs or small trees.
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