LC
Brown Booby Sula leucogaster



Taxonomy

Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
SACC. 2005 and updates. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm.
Turbott, E.G. 1990. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand. Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Wellington.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2018 Least Concern
2016 Least Concern
2012 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2004 Least Concern
2000 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

Migratory status not a migrant Forest dependency does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type Average mass -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 223,000,000 km2
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) 262,000,000 km2
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size unknown poor estimated 2009
Population trend decreasing - suspected -
Generation length 17.3 years - - -

Population justification: The global population is estimated to number >200,000 individuals (del Hoyo et al. 1992). National population sizes have been estimated at c.10,000-100,000 breeding pairs and c.1,000-10,000 individuals on migration in Taiwan and c.10,000-100,000 breeding pairs, c.1,000-10,000 individuals on migration and c.1,000-10,000 wintering individuals in Japan (Brazil 2009).

Trend justification: The population is suspected to be in decline owing to disturbance and unsustainable levels of exploitation.


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
American Samoa extant native yes
Anguilla (to UK) extant native yes
Antigua and Barbuda extant native yes
Argentina extant native yes
Aruba (to Netherlands) extant native yes
Australia extant native yes
Bahamas extant native yes
Barbados extant native yes
Belize extant native yes
Benin extant vagrant yes
Bermuda (to UK) extant vagrant yes
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (to Netherlands) extant native yes
Brazil extant native yes
British Indian Ocean Territory extant native yes
Brunei extant native yes
Cambodia extant uncertain
Cameroon extant uncertain
Canada extant native yes
Cape Verde extant native yes
Cayman Islands (to UK) extant native yes
Chile extant uncertain yes
China (mainland) extant native yes
Christmas Island (to Australia) extant native yes
Cocos (Keeling) Islands (to Australia) extant native yes
Colombia extant native yes
Comoros extant native yes
Cook Islands extant native yes
Costa Rica extant native yes
Côte d'Ivoire extant uncertain
Cuba extant native yes
Curaçao (to Netherlands) extant native yes
Djibouti extant native yes
Dominica extant native yes
Dominican Republic extant native yes
Ecuador extant native yes
Egypt extant native yes
El Salvador extant native yes
Equatorial Guinea extant native yes
Eritrea extant native yes
Fiji extant native yes
French Guiana extant native yes
French Polynesia extant native yes
French Southern Territories extant uncertain
Gabon extant native yes
Gambia extant vagrant yes
Ghana extant vagrant yes
Grenada extant native yes
Guadeloupe (to France) extant native yes
Guam (to USA) extant native yes
Guatemala extant native yes
Guinea extant native yes
Guinea-Bissau extant native yes
Guyana extant native yes
Haiti extant native yes
Honduras extant native yes
Hong Kong (China) extant vagrant yes
India extant native yes
Indonesia extant native yes
Israel extant native yes
Jamaica extant native yes
Japan extant native yes
Jordan extant native yes
Kenya extant native yes
Kiribati extant native yes
Liberia extant native yes
Madagascar extant native yes
Malaysia extant native yes
Maldives extant native yes
Marshall Islands extant native yes
Martinique (to France) extant native yes
Mauritania extant native yes
Mauritius extant uncertain
Mayotte (to France) extant native yes
Mexico extant native yes
Micronesia, Federated States of extant native yes
Montserrat (to UK) extant native yes
Morocco extant vagrant yes
Mozambique extant vagrant yes
Myanmar extant native yes
Nauru extant native yes
New Caledonia (to France) extant native yes
New Zealand extant vagrant yes
Nicaragua extant native yes
Nigeria extant native yes
Norfolk Island (to Australia) extant uncertain
North Korea extant uncertain
Northern Mariana Islands (to USA) extant native yes
Oman extant native yes
Pakistan extant uncertain
Palau extant native yes
Panama extant native yes
Papua New Guinea extant uncertain
Philippines extant native yes
Pitcairn Islands (to UK) extant uncertain
Portugal extant vagrant yes
Puerto Rico (to USA) extant native yes
Samoa extant native yes
São Tomé e Príncipe extant native yes
Saudi Arabia extant native yes
Senegal extant vagrant yes
Seychelles extant native yes
Sierra Leone extant vagrant yes
Singapore extant native yes
Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) extant native yes
Solomon Islands extant native yes
Somalia extant native yes
South Africa extant vagrant yes
South Korea extant uncertain
Spain extant vagrant yes
Sri Lanka extant native yes
St Barthelemy (to France) extant native
St Helena (to UK) extant native yes
St Kitts and Nevis extant native yes
St Lucia extant native yes
St Martin (to France) extant native yes
St Vincent and the Grenadines extant native yes
Sudan extant native yes
Suriname extant native yes
Taiwan, China extant native yes
Tanzania extant uncertain
Thailand extant native yes
Timor-Leste extant native yes
Togo extant vagrant
Tokelau (to New Zealand) extant uncertain
Tonga extant native yes
Trinidad and Tobago extant native yes
Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) extant native yes
Tuvalu extant uncertain
United Arab Emirates extant vagrant yes
United States Minor Outlying Islands (to USA) extant native yes
Uruguay extant vagrant yes
USA extant native yes
Vanuatu extant native yes
Venezuela extant native yes
Vietnam extant native yes
Virgin Islands (to UK) extant native yes
Virgin Islands (to USA) extant native yes
Wallis and Futuna Islands (to France) extant native yes
Western Sahara extant uncertain
Yemen extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Anguilla (to UK) Dog Island
Anguilla (to UK) Prickly Pear (East and West)
Anguilla (to UK) Sombrero Island
Antigua and Barbuda Redonda
Australia Adele Island
Australia Ashmore Reef
Australia Bedout Island
Australia Booby Island (Kimberley)
Australia Capricornia Cays
Australia Islands North of Port Stewart
Australia Lacepede Islands
Australia Manowar and Rocky Islands
Australia Raine Island, Moulter and Maclennan Cays
Australia Stapleton Island
Australia Wilson Reef (Great Barrier Reef)
Bahamas Booby Cay
Bahamas Booby Rocks and Pirates Bay
Bahamas Cay Verde
Bahamas Graham's Harbour
Bahamas Mira Por Vos
Bahamas Sandy Point
Brazil Arquipélago dos Alcatrazes
Brazil Ilhas dos Currais
Cape Verde Coastal cliffs between Porto Mosquito and Baia do Inferno
Christmas Island (to Australia) Christmas Island
Dominica L'llet
Dominica Point Des Foux
Fiji Ringgold Islands
Fiji Ringgold Islands Marine
French Polynesia Clipperton
French Polynesia Clipperton Marine
Guinea Ile Alcatraz et Ile du Naufrage
Indonesia Pulau Gunung Api
Indonesia Pulau Manuk
Jamaica Pedro Cays and Bank
Japan Danjo islands
Japan Senkaku islands
Martinique (to France) Rocher du Diamant
Mexico Bahía e Islas de San Jorge
Mexico Isla Isabel
Mexico Isla San Pedro Nolasco
Mexico Isla Tortuga
Mexico Islas Marietas
Mexico Morros de Potosí
Micronesia, Federated States of Gaferut (Faiyew) Island
Micronesia, Federated States of Gaferut Island Marine
New Caledonia (to France) Île Matthew
New Caledonia (to France) Île Matthew Marin
New Caledonia (to France) Île Walpole
New Caledonia (to France) Île Walpole Marin
New Caledonia (to France) Îles des récifs Bampton et Chesterfield
New Caledonia (to France) Récifs Bampton et Chesterfield Marin
New Caledonia (to France) Récifs d'Entrecasteaux
New Caledonia (to France) Récifs d'Entrecasteaux Marin
Philippines Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park
Puerto Rico (to USA) Culebra
Puerto Rico (to USA) Mona and Monito
São Tomé e Príncipe Tinhosas islands
Saudi Arabia Farasan Islands
St Barthelemy (to France) Îlets les Petits Saints et Gros Islets
St Barthelemy (to France) Petite Islette
St Vincent and the Grenadines All Awash Island
St Vincent and the Grenadines Battowia Island
St Vincent and the Grenadines Petit Canouan
Tonga 'Ata Island
Tonga Ata Island Marine
Trinidad and Tobago Little Tobago Island
Trinidad and Tobago St Giles Islands
United States Minor Outlying Islands (to USA) Jarvis Island
United States Minor Outlying Islands (to USA) Jarvis Island Marine
USA Lehua Islet
Venezuela Isla La Blanquilla
Venezuela Isla La Blanquilla - Marine
Virgin Islands (to USA) North-west Cays
Yemen Darsa
Yemen Islands north of Al-Hudaydah
Yemen Islands off Bir Ali
Yemen Jaza'ir al-Hanish
Yemen Samha
Yemen Zubayr group of islands

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Marine Coastal/Supratidal Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands suitable resident
Marine Neritic Macroalgal/Kelp major resident
Marine Neritic Pelagic major resident
Marine Neritic Seagrass (Submerged) major resident
Marine Neritic Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel major resident
Marine Neritic Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs major resident
Marine Neritic Subtidal Sandy major resident
Marine Neritic Subtidal Sandy-Mud major resident
Marine Oceanic Epipelagic (0-200m) major resident
Marine Oceanic Mesopelagic (200-1000m) major resident
Altitude 0 - 100 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact
Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses
Biological resource use Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Species disturbance, Species mortality
Human intrusions & disturbance Recreational activities Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Species disturbance, Reduced reproductive success
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Rattus rattus Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success
Pollution Agricultural & forestry effluents - Herbicides and pesticides Timing Scope Severity Impact
Past, Unlikely to Return Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Past Impact
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success
Pollution Garbage & solid waste Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success

Utilisation
Purpose Scale
Food - human subsistence, national
Pets/display animals, horticulture international

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Brown Booby Sula leucogaster. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/brown-booby-sula-leucogaster on 05/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 05/12/2024.