A seldom-seen red-footed booby was sighted in Chesapeake Bay off the coast of Maryland, a location thousands of miles from its usual Caribbean habitat. The unusual seabird was spotted by Tom Giancola of Annapolis on June 21 as he was boating in the bay. The closest location where this species is typically found is Cuba, which is approximately 1,250 miles away.
Giancola reported that the bird flew around his boat, landed on its bow, and stayed for about an hour before departing. He captured photographs of the encounter. Later, the images were shared with friends, and Anna Arundel, a science teacher, identified the bird as a red-footed booby, noting the rarity of such a sighting.
Additional sightings of the bird in Chesapeake Bay were reported, with another photograph appearing in a bird-watching Facebook group on June 28. The species has been observed a few other times along the East Coast since 2021, including in New York, Massachusetts, and Maine, according to All About Birds. Sightings have also occurred along the West and Southern coasts, primarily in Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.
Red-footed boobies are distinguishable by their bright red feet, a characteristic present in both light and dark color variations of the bird. These birds can grow to the size of geese and feed on fish and squid, often staying near schools of fish. The global population of red-footed boobies is estimated to be around 1.4 million.
Gussie Maguire, a scientist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, noted that Maryland has observed an increase in species from warmer regions during the summer. "It’s pretty wild to see this, but it isn’t a one-off," Maguire told The Baltimore Sun. "Climate change and warming air and water temperatures are having a notable impact on different species’ ranges, including some we may not be so excited to see, like certain types of harmful algae."
