Brown Booby Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesBrown Booby
Adult (Atlantic)
Large, heavy-bodied seabird with a daggerlike bill. Adults are dark brown above with a white belly and yellow feet. Note pale yellow bill.
© Bill Adams / Macaulay LibraryArkansas, November 07, 2015Adult (Colombian)
Large seabird with a bullet-shaped body. Adults have an all dark back and tail.
© Rodolfo Dodero / Macaulay LibraryChocó, September 15, 2019Adult (Brewster's) with Western Gulls
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryBaja California, March 08, 2014Not all videos have sound
Adult (Brewster's)
Birds along the Pacific Coast of Mexico have a paler head, but still have a dark brown back and tail.
© Greg Gillson / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, September 21, 2014Adult (Forster's)
Large seabird with a bullet-shaped body and daggerlike bill. Brown above with a brown neck and a white belly.
© Alan Atkinson / Macaulay LibraryWestern Australia, August 03, 2012Adult (Brewster's) with Western Gull
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryBaja California, March 08, 2014Not all videos have sound
Immature
Immature birds look like adults but have a dingy brown belly.
© Bill Bacon / Macaulay LibraryChristmas Island, November 10, 2016Adult (Colombian)
Heavy-bodied dark brown seabird with a white belly. Note pale yellow bill and feet.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryGuanacaste, November 11, 2008Adult (Forster's) with Red-footed Booby
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryHawaii, April 01, 2003Not all videos have sound
Immature
Immature birds look similar to adults but have a dingy brown belly.
© Tim Lenz / Macaulay LibrarySonora, November 25, 2015Adult (Forster's)
Plunge-dives into the ocean, sweeping its wings backward and slicing through the water like an arrow.
© Rodney Appleby / Macaulay LibraryQueensland, July 02, 2016Adult (Forster's)
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryHawaii, April 01, 2003Not all videos have sound
Similar SpeciesBlue-footed Booby
Adult
Blue-footed Boobies have bright blue feet and a whiter neck than Brown Boobies, which have yellow feet and a dark brown neck.
© Lisa Owens / Macaulay LibraryGalápagos, March 27, 2012Similar SpeciesBlue-footed Booby
Immature
Immature Blue-footed Boobies have a white belly while immature Brown Boobies have a dingy brown belly.
© Steve Collins / Macaulay LibraryNew Mexico, August 23, 2009Similar SpeciesMasked Booby
Adult
Masked Boobies have a white back while Brown Boobies have a brown back.
© Bruce Wedderburn / Macaulay LibraryNorfolk Island, April 04, 2011Similar SpeciesMasked Booby
Immature
Immature Masked Boobies have a distinct white collar while immature Brown Boobies have a solid brown neck and no white collar.
© James (Jim) Holmes / Macaulay LibrarySaint Helena, April 18, 2016Similar SpeciesRed-footed Booby
Adult dark morph
Dark morph Red-footed Boobies have a pale tan belly while adult Brown Boobies have a white belly and immature Brown Boobies have a dingy brown belly.
© Ken Chamberlain / Macaulay LibraryColima, December 04, 2015Similar SpeciesNorthern Gannet
Juvenile
Juvenile Northern Gannets have a white patch on the tail that immature and adult Brown Boobies do not have (their tail is solid brown).
© John Reynolds / Macaulay LibraryOccitanie, December 03, 2016Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
Compare with Similar Species
Click on an image to compare
Species in This Family
Boobies and Gannets(Order: Suliformes, Family: Sulidae)
Don't miss a thing! Join our email list
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.