Nazca Booby
VU

Nazca Booby

Sula granti

Unknown

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazca_booby

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

The Nazca Booby faces significant threats from climate change-induced shifts in ocean currents that reduce prey availability, particularly during El Niño events when fish populations crash. Human disturbance at nesting colonies, plastic pollution causing entanglement and ingestion, and introduced predators on breeding islands further compound population pressures. Overfishing of anchovies and sardines in the Eastern Pacific has reduced the species' primary food sources, while rising sea levels threaten low-lying nesting sites.

Threat summary

Habitat

Nazca Boobies inhabit tropical and subtropical waters of the Eastern Pacific, nesting on rocky cliffs and flat areas of oceanic islands including the Galápagos, Malpelo, and Cocos Islands. They forage in pelagic waters, diving from heights up to 25 meters to catch fish in the nutrient-rich upwelling zones of the Humboldt and Panama Currents.

MARINE· majorTERRESTRIAL· major

Other threatened species in Sulidae

Brown BoobyEN

Brown Booby

Sula leucogaster

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Nazca Booby classified as Vulnerable?
Nazca Booby is classified as Vulnerable because the population is declining and the species faces a high risk of extinction in the medium-term future if current pressures continue. The Nazca Booby faces significant threats from climate change-induced shifts in ocean currents that reduce prey availability, particularly during El Niño events when fish populations crash. Human disturbance at nesting colonies, plastic pollution causing entanglement and ingestion, and introduced predators on breeding islands further compound population pressures. Overfishing of anchovies and sardines in the Eastern Pacific has reduced the species' primary food sources, while rising sea levels threaten low-lying nesting sites.
Where does Nazca Booby live?
Nazca Booby occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Nazca Booby?
The main threats to Nazca Booby are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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