Norfolk Island: Masked Boobies
I spent hours watching boobies (just couldn’t help but write this), masked boobies that is. Masked booby is perhaps the most spectacular bird on Norfolk Island and the largest. They build shallow nests on high sea cliffs right above the ocean, and parents take turns going to see for food, where they deep dive for fish. Masked boobies usually have two eggs, but the most bizarre thing specific to this species is the sublicide phenomenon – the first chick that hatches then kills its sibling when the latter hatches. While this seems cruel and unusual, this actually assures the survival of the species as two parents are unable to feed two chicks at the same time. Survival of the fittest in action, quite literally! And now back to watching boobies…
