54-459: Red-footed booby ( Sula sula ) Brown booby ( Sula leucogaster ) Masked booby ( Sula dactylatra ) Nazca booby ( Sula granti ) Blue-footed booby ( Sula nebouxii ) Peruvian booby ( Sula variegata ) A booby is a seabird in the genus Sula , part of the family Sulidae . Boobies are closely related to the gannets ( Morus ), which were formerly included in Sula . The genus Sula
108-518: A Key Biodiversity Area under CEPF , are also instrumental in the preservation of many bird species that are either vulnerable or near-threatened and were recommended as a Marine Protected Area (MPA) by the World Bank (1998). The World Bank's management plan was accepted, with a few changes, at Mauritian ministry level in its "Blue Print for the Management of St. Brandon" in 2002 and thereafter approved by
162-417: A height into the sea and pursuing their prey underwater. Facial air sacs under their skin cushion the impact with the water. Boobies are colonial breeders on islands and coasts. They normally lay one or more chalky-blue eggs on the ground or sometimes in a tree nest. Selective pressures, likely through competition for resource, have shaped the ecomorphology and foraging behaviours of the six species of boobies in
216-584: A legal challenge from 1995 until 2008 between a certain Mr. Talbot (acting with the government) and the Raphael Fishing Company, this being resolved by Mauritius's highest Court of Appeal in 2008 which converted the erstwhile permanent lease into a permanent grant for the resident fishing company. As is common amongst small, remote islands, the fauna and flora display a high degree of endemism which attracts visitors and international conservationists because of
270-435: A mason, one as a shoemaker and another as a domestic servant. There was no indication that the guano mines were operating. The islands were later mined for phosphates derived from guano until mining activities ceased in the mid-20th century. Amateur radio operators have occasionally conducted DXpeditions on Saint Brandon. In February and March 2023, the 3B7M expedition made more than 120,000 radio contacts. Shipwrecks on
324-461: A period of several hours, while another caught after landing near the entrance to a crab burrow was dragged inside. Red-footed booby nestlings and eggs are also attacked by a variety of predators, including rats, cats, pigs, raptors, and Micronesian starlings , although introduced mammalian predators have a limited impact as the booby nests in trees. However, the booby's habit of breeding on remote islands may be an adaptation to avoid predation; on
378-431: A seasonal component, with the largest population segment being men between 20 and 35. 73 men worked in fishing, 11 at the guano mines and 4 were ship's carpenters. Only one (male) person was recorded as having been born on Saint Brandon. In the 1921 census, the population had plummeted to just 22. There were 21 men (ages 19–48) and just one woman, a married Catholic, aged 31. A further 14 people were identified as part of
432-531: A selection of other molluscs from Saint Brandon. At the Corporate Council on Africa US Africa Business Summit in Dallas on 8 May 2024, The Saint Brandon Conservation Trust presented Saving Africa's Rarest Species and the panel session explored Mauritius as a model for African ecosystem conservation and the importance of critical relationships with global NGOs to help unite common environmental interests across
486-600: A stick nest, which is incubated by both adults for 44–46 days. The nest is usually placed in a tree or bush, but rarely it may nest on the ground. It may be three months before the young first fly, and five months before they make extensive flights. Red-footed booby pairs may remain together over several seasons. They perform elaborate greeting rituals, including harsh squawks and the male's display of his blue throat, also including short dances. The diet of red-footed boobies consists mostly of fish (such as Exocoetidae flying fish and Gempylidae escolars) and squid . Studies of
540-474: A year, most falling in January to April. The climate is dominated by the south-east trades. Cyclones can cause considerable damage. In 1948, Il aux Fous disappeared and Avoquer was submerged by two meters of water. Petit ile Longue was swept away in a later cyclone, but is now reappearing. The South Equatorial Current is dominant. St. Brandon comprises about 190 km (73 sq mi) of reefs. It has one of
594-569: Is a very rare species of large sea snail (a marine gastropod mollusc in the Strombidae family) endemic to Saint Brandon. It is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, which is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological species. Below is
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#1732873250211648-528: Is an anglicized name of the French town of Saint-Brandan , possibly given by French sailors and corsairs that sailed to and from Brittany. Another explanation is that the name derived from the mythical Saint Brendan's Island that goes back to Saint Brendan of Clonfert, Brendan the Navigator , because French sailors associated the atoll with the patron saint of sailors. The name Cargados Carajos , which refers to
702-664: Is low-lying and is prone to substantial submersion in severe weather, but also by annual tropical cyclones in the Mascarene Islands . It has an aggregate land area estimated variously at 1.3 km (0.50 sq mi) and 200 ha (500 acres). The islands have a small resident population of around 60 fishermen working for the Raphael Fishing Company . The bulk of this population, approximately 40 people, reside on Île Raphael , with smaller settlements existing on Avocaré Island , L'Île Coco , and L'île du Sud . In
756-445: Is the smallest member of the booby and gannet family at about 70 cm (28 in) in length and with a wingspan of up to 152 cm (60 in). The average weight of 490 adults from Christmas Island was 837 g (1.845 lb). It has red legs, and its bill and throat pouch are coloured pink and blue. This species has several morphs . In the white morph the plumage is mostly white (the head often tinged yellowish) and
810-750: The Bounty and his adherents during their famous voyage after being set adrift by Fletcher Christian and his followers. Six of the ten extant Sulidae species called boobies are in the genus Sula , while the three gannet species are usually placed in the genus Morus . Abbott's booby was formerly included in Sula but is now placed in a monotypic genus Papasula , which represents an ancient lineage perhaps closer to Morus . Some authorities consider that all ten species should be considered congeneric in Sula . However, they are readily distinguished by means of osteology . The distinct lineages of gannets and boobies are known to have existed in such form, since at least
864-564: The Galápagos Islands , most belong to the brown morph, though the white morph also occurs. The sexes are similar, and juveniles are brownish with darker wings, and pale pinkish legs, while chicks are covered in dense white down. The red-footed booby is widespread throughout the tropics of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. In the Atlantic, they mainly live in the Caribbean islands . In
918-453: The Galápagos Islands , the red-footed booby does not nest on any islands inhabited by the Galapagos hawk , even when they have suitable conditions, and has been observed colonizing islands soon after the hawk is extirpated on them. Humans eat both red-footed booby adults and nestlings; boobies will bite humans trying to catch them near their nest. Parasites recorded from the species include
972-686: The Glorioso Islands , Assumption Island , Tikopia , Henderson Island , the Marquesas Islands , the Society Islands , and Desecheo Island . The species is a vagrant to Sri Lanka , New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. This species breeds on islands in most tropical oceans. When not breeding it spends most of the time at sea, and is therefore rarely seen away from breeding colonies. It nests in large colonies, laying one chalky blue egg in
1026-539: The flight feathers are black. The black-tailed white morph is similar, but with a black tail, and can easily be confused with the Nazca and masked boobies . The brown morph is overall brown. The white-tailed brown morph is similar, but has a white belly, rump, and tail. The white-headed and white-tailed brown morph has a mostly white body, tail and head, and brown wings and back. The morphs commonly breed together, but in most regions one or two morphs predominates; for example, at
1080-572: The "loaded crow's nest" of a Portuguese caravel that was required to successfully sail through the dangerous atoll, remains in use as well. Geographically, the archipelago is part of the Mascarene Islands and is situated on the Mascarene Plateau formed by the separation of the Mauritia microcontinent during the separation of India and Madagascar around 60 million years ago from what is today
1134-399: The 1 November 1755 Lisbon Earthquake, there is no way of knowing for certain, but hearsay suggests that Saint Brandon was discovered around 975 A.D. by Arabian sailors along with Dina Arobi ( "Abandoned Island" ), now known as the island of Mauritius. It can also be found listed as Baixos on the 1502 Cantino Planisphere map, which was an illegal copy of a Portuguese map that documented
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#17328732502111188-483: The African continent. The reef measures more than 50 km (31 mi) from north to south and is 5 km (3.1 mi) wide, cut by three passes. The reef area is 190 km (73 sq mi). The total number of islands on the reef varies but usually number around 40. Siren Island, L'île du Sud , Pearl Island, and Frigate Island are west of the reef, while North Island is about 4 km (2.5 mi) northeast of
1242-516: The Arab discoveries and was smuggled to Italy and, for this reason, survived. It was named Cargados Carajos in 1506 by Portuguese sailors who went ashore for provisioning after having been blown off course from their attempted passage through the Mozambique Channel (the shortest and safest route) on their way to India . Pirates and French corsairs have also used the islands as a refuge. In 1598,
1296-695: The Durrell Conservation Trust, through hand-rearing the last breeding pair in existence and releasing their chicks into the safety of Kestrel Valley sanctuary. Starting in 1994, 331 birds were released into the wild in Mauritius. Monitoring and protection of the Mauritius Kestrel are ongoing at Kestrel Valley with and active contribution to the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation . Because all Portuguese maps of discovery were destroyed by
1350-589: The Dutch occupied the islands. On 12 February 1662, the East India Ship Arnhem ran aground on the Saint Brandon Rocks. Volkert Evertsz, the captain, and other survivors of the wreck survived by piloting a small boat to Mauritius, and are thought to have been the last humans to see living dodos . They survived the three months until their rescue by hunting "goats, birds, tortoises and pigs". Evertsz
1404-416: The French general Charles Decaen ordered the corsair Charles Nicolas Mariette to send a spying mission to Saint Brandon and to leave six men on the most prominent island and, on his return trip to Mauritius, to ascertain once and for all that Cargados Carajos and Saint Brandon were the same shoal. The frigate Piemontaise under the command of Louis Jacques Eperon le Jeune departed on 11 June 1806. In 1810,
1458-601: The Middle Miocene , c. 15 mya . The fossil record of boobies is not as well documented as that of gannets , either because booby speciation was lower from the late Miocene to the Pliocene (when gannet diversity was at its highest), or because the booby fossil species record is as yet incomplete due to most localities being equatorial or in the Southern Hemisphere . Boobies hunt fish by diving from
1512-886: The Pacific, populations can be found in the Galapagos Islands , mostly on Genovesa and San Cristobal and in Hawaii , on Kauai . In the Indian Ocean, it is found on Aldabra , the Seychelles , Rodrigues , the Maldives , the Chagos Archipelago , the Cocos (Keeling) Islands , and Christmas Island . The red-footed booby has been extirpated from a large number of islands due to a combination of introduced predators and human predation, including
1566-455: The Pacific. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Red-footed booby The red-footed booby ( Sula sula ) is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae . Adults always have red feet, but the colour of the plumage varies. They are powerful and agile fliers, but they are clumsy in takeoffs and landings. They are found widely in
1620-513: The Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1766, in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae . He gave it the binomial name Pelecanus sula and described it based on a specimen from Barbados . The present genus Sula was introduced by the French scientist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The word Sula is Norwegian for a gannet . There are three subspecies: The red-footed booby
1674-661: The around 60 pairs attempted breeding in 1982 and 1983 respectively. St. Brandon Saint Brandon ( French : Saint-Brandon ), also known as the Cargados Carajos Shoals , is a southwest Indian Ocean archipelago of sand banks, shoals and islets belonging to the Republic of Mauritius . It lies about 430 km (270 mi) northeast of the island of Mauritius. It consists of five island groups, with about 28-40 islands and islets in total, depending on seasonal storms and related sand movements. The archipelago
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1728-644: The coral banks; the reef flat has appreciable coral cover. North of this, or deeper into the bay, are several isolated patches of coral growing in deeper water. The eastern border has reefs with a greater diversity of corals, in particular, enormous hillocks of Pavona spp. with Mycedium tenuicostatum which is unusual in Mauritius. On the sandy substrate, Goniopora and Pontes provide hard substrate for several other species, notably Acropora and Pavona . Large tabular 'Acropora corals are also conspicuous, and when dead or overturned, provide substrate for other colonizers. These patches have expanded and fused to provide
1782-527: The critical role these remote islands play in the conservation of endangered species. The endangered green sea turtle ( Chelonia mydas ) nests here as does the critically endangered Hawksbill turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata ) which may be unique to the extent that they are eventually confirmed as being genetically different from those further north in the Chagos islands and the Seychelles. The islands, designated
1836-430: The dry season. They generally catch prey by diving into the ocean vertically from heights of 4 to 8 m (13 to 26 ft), although flying fish may be caught while in the air. Adult red-footed boobies are known to be hunted by coconut crabs ; the crabs use their powerful claws to break the wings of boobies or catch them by their legs. One booby attacked while asleep on a low branch was killed by six coconut crabs over
1890-503: The early 19th century, most of the islands were used as fishing stations. Today, only one resident fishing company operates on the archipelago with three fishing stations and accommodation for fly fishermen on L'île du Sud, Île Raphael and L'Île Coco. The isolated Albatross Island reverted to the State of Mauritius in May 1992 and has since been abandoned. Thirteen of the thirty islands were subject to
1944-808: The generational, cultural and geographical boundaries. The panel discussed the success story of the Mauritian Kestrel, highlighting the Kestrel's current status as the national bird. The session also included a case study on the rescue and rehabilitation of three rare reptile species following the Wakashio oil spill in July 2020. The session concluded with an insight into an independent NGO: the Saint Brandon Conservation Trust. The session lasted for one hour and included three videos, graphics and photography used by
1998-521: The government of Mauritius in 2004. In the early 1500s, the Portuguese labelled the islands Cargados Carajos on charts such as the Cantino Planisphere of 1502, which identified them as baixos ("low-lying"), with a surround of crosses to identify the danger to shipping. Various explanations have been given for the islands having subsequently been named Saint Brandon . One of these is that it
2052-540: The islands were taken by force by Britain, becoming a British crown colony . From October to November 1917, the Saint Brandon Islands and, in particular, the lagoon of L'Île Coco, were used as a base by the German raiding vessel Wolf , commanded by Karl August Nerger . On the island, Wolf transferred stoking coal and stores from the captured Japanese ship Hitachi Maru which took three weeks. The coal
2106-516: The islands. Given the total isolation of the atoll and the low level of investment and scientific research carried out to date, there is the possibility of the discovery of new species. In May 2013, Novaculops alvheimia , a new species of labrid fish, was discovered on the St Brandon atoll. Among molluscs found in Saint Brandon, Ophioglossolambis violacea is famous for its violet hue. It
2160-406: The longest algal ridges in the Indian Ocean. Coconut trees can be found on a few islands as well as a variety of bushes and grass. The islands are covered with white granular sand from eroded coral , and a thick layer of guano can be found on some islands. The western part of the bay has a coral bank and a fringing reef, dominated by staghorn Acropora , with an irregular front which merges with
2214-451: The low-lying, rocky reefs of Saint Brandon have been recorded since as early as 1591. The main settlement and the administrative centre of Saint Brandon is Île Raphaël and can have up to 35 resident employees, a coast guard outpost and meteorological station (with eight residents in 1996). Smaller settlements exist on Avocaré Island, L'Île Coco, and L'île du Sud. The settlement on Albatross was abandoned in 1988. The Saint Brandon archipelago
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2268-489: The northern tip of the reef. Albatross Island, about 18 km (11 mi) north, is geographically a separate single coral island. Albatross Island is the highest point at 6 m (20 ft) above sea level and the largest of the islands in the group, with an area of 1.01 km (0.39 sq mi), followed by Raphaël, Tortue, Avocaré Island, L'Île Coco and L'île du Sud. Temperatures range from 23–26 °C (73–79 °F), with rainfall of 1,050 mm (41 in)
2322-461: The numerous, large coral banks found in the Bay. Only twenty-eight coral species have been recorded which is probably due to the uniform habitat. Further offshore lies a peripheral fringing reef. This complex of low islands, coral reefs and sand banks arises from a vast shallow submarine platform. The main structure is a large, 100 km (62 mi) long crescent-shaped reef whose convex side faces towards
2376-411: The presenters and concluded with an interactive Q+A session with delegates from the audience which were moderated. The event was conceived and sponsored by the vice-chairman of Corporate Council on Africa as a prime mover in the creation of America's governing law on trade with Africa (AGOA), supporting and lobbying for Africa and for his homeland, Mauritius. The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act ( AGOA )
2430-417: The red-footed booby on Christmas Island have found that most fish eaten are 6–15 cm (2.4–5.9 in) long, with a maximum length of 20 cm (7.9 in), and most squid are 6–10 cm (2.4–3.9 in), with a maximum length of 15 cm (5.9 in). On Aldabra , the proportion of fish and squid in the diet varies between seasons; squid make up 21% of the diet by mass in the wet season and 1% in
2484-510: The south-east trades and the South Equatorial Current. The reef front of the main reef recurves inwards at both ends and is cut by two or three passes. The main reef has a very broad reef flat, extending up to several hundred metres across in parts. Together with much of the broad reef flat it is emergent at low tides. Apart from calcareous red algae it supports a few pocilloporoid corals. Down to at least 20 m (66 ft) depth
2538-527: The substrate is swept clear of attached biota, although on the sides of spurs or buttresses a few corals exist. Underwater photographs of some of the numerous knolls and banks behind the reef show that the density of corals and soft corals is typical of many very sedimented areas and shallow lagoons in the Indian Ocean. The islands are home to at least 26 species of seabirds such as Red-footed booby , sooty terns , and white terns . Endangered Green turtles and Critically Endangered hawksbill turtles nest on
2592-562: The tick Ornithodoros capensis in nests and the bird louse Pectino pygus in adults. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the red-footed booby as a species of least concern , though the population worldwide is decreasing. The warm phase ( El Niño ) of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation in 1982 and 1983 negatively affected breeding on Christmas Island as higher water temperatures reduced food supply. Where usually 6000 pairs nested, 30 pairs and
2646-461: The tropics, and breed colonially in coastal regions, especially isolated islands such as St. Brandon , Mauritius ( Cargados Carajos shoals). The species faces few natural or man-made threats, although its population is declining; it is considered to be a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The red-footed booby was formally described by
2700-562: Was enacted in 2000 and, after completing its initial 15-year period of validity, the AGOA legislation was extended, on June 29, 2015, by a further 10 years, to 2025. Case Study 1, The Mauritian Kestrel: A Successful African Conservation Story: The Mauritius kestrel ( Falco punctatus ), originally from the adjoining deep valleys of the Bambous Mountain Range, was saved from almost certain extinction by Professor Carl Jones, Chief Scientist of
2754-684: Was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The type species is the brown booby . The name is derived from súla , the Old Norse and Icelandic word for the other member of the family Sulidae , the gannet . The English name "booby" was possibly based on the Spanish slang term bobo , meaning "stupid", as these tame birds had a habit of landing on board sailing ships, where they were easily captured and eaten. Owing to this, boobies are often mentioned as having been caught and eaten by shipwrecked sailors, notably William Bligh of
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#17328732502112808-715: Was necessary for the raider's return to Germany. To do so, Wolf had to run a gauntlet of Allied warships from near the Cape of the Good Hope to the North Atlantic. On 7 November 1917, the Germans scuttled Hitachi Maru 26 km (16 mi) off shore and Wolf departed. The most common employment on St. Brandon in 1922 was agriculture, with a manager, assistant manager and eleven labourers. Only two young men were recorded as working as fishermen. Three men worked as carpenters, one as
2862-687: Was rescued by the English ship Truroe in May 1662. Seven of the survivors chose not to return with the first rescue ship. Mauritius and its associated islands were colonised by the French some time around 1715, granted by the King of France to the Compagnie des Indes in 1726 but retroceded to the French Crown in 1765. Saint Brandon was referred to as Cargados in Samuel Dunn 's world map of 1794. On 9 June 1806,
2916-456: Was surveyed by British colonial authorities on 31 March 1911 as part of the Census of Mauritius. They found a total population of 110, made up of 97 men (86 non-Indian and 11 Indian) and 13 women (10 non-Indian and 3 Indian). While the archipelago likely had a resident population at this point, as indicated by the 8 children under the age of 15 and the 5 people over the age of 60, there was also likely
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