Blue-footed Booby

Blue-footed Booby / Oil on black canvas / 5x7 / unframed / $68 including shipping

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THE BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY is, yes, another of the birds whose name turns me into a giggling 8-year-old.

It's also a fascinating bird, with a mesmerizing mating dance. Click here to see it. 

For those who don't know much about this bird (like me), here are some basic facts. They live off the western coast of Central and South America; about half the world's population lives in the Galapagos Islands.

They nest on land at night, and spend their days searching for food in the ocean. Sometimes they hunt in cooperative groups. When they see their prey, they fold their wings back and plunge into the water from as high as 80 feet, according to National Geographic.

As far as mating goes, the bluer the male's feet, the more attractive he is. Isn't that universally true?

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For Today

"Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her. 

Still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings." 

- Victor Hugo