A single pair brought a new nesting record to the northern motu in the guide’s 2022 account.
- Local names
- Ua'ao, Kena, Uakao
- Habitat
- Motu and shore
About this species
Masked boobies plunge from several tens of metres above the water to catch flying fish and squid. They can forage about 200 km from shore. The male’s bill is bright yellow; the female’s is more greenish yellow. Adults measure roughly 75–85 cm from bill to tail.
They nest on the ground in scattered colonies, often on exposed, windy beaches. A clutch normally contains two eggs laid about six days apart, but parents generally raise only one chick. Incubation lasts approximately 42–49 days, followed by 109–151 days of parental care. The guide records longevity of up to 23 years.
The guide’s 2022 entry recorded one resident breeding pair in the northern part of Hira Anae and described two chicks hatching in October. Hatching two chicks does not mean that both survived to fledging. That account also listed the species as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List; the entry is preserved here as a dated conservation reference.
