The common names for many species of birds can sometimes be confusing, contradictory, misleading, or a complete mystery. For example, the common name red-winged blackbird has always gotten under my skin, because the wing of this bird isn’t red, it is actually black. The shoulder is red, not the wing.
All of this was running through my head on my recent photo tour of the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. One of the most common birds on this island archipelago is the blue-footed booby.
Nature Smart: Blue-footed boobies
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