Blue-footed Booby chick
© robertharding/Adobe Stock
Fuzz to feathers
The smallest member of the booby and gannet family, the red-footed booby still cuts a pretty strong figure in the sky, with a wingspan around 5 feet. Of course, it's going to be a while before this little seabird chick takes flight. First it'll need to shed its baby fuzz to make way for that first coat of feathers. All red-footed booby chicks start out covered in white down, but as they mature their plumage takes on a brown, white, or multicolored morph depending on the individual's genetics. Regardless of feather pattern, though, adults of both sexes sport the species' signature ruby-red stompers.
Blue-footed Booby, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
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