Masked Booby
Masked BoobyMasked BoobyMasked Booby

Masked Booby

Sula dactylatra

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Manuel Antonio National Park
20 Verified records at Manuel Antonio National Park
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The masked booby (Sula dactylatra), also called the masked gannet or the blue-faced booby, is a large seabird of the booby and gannet family, Sulidae. First described by the French naturalist René-Primevère Lesson in 1831, the masked booby is one of six species of booby in the genus Sula. It has a typical sulid body shape, with a long pointed yellowish bill, long neck, aerodynamic body, long slender wings and pointed tail. The adult is bright white with black wings, a black tail and a dark face mask; at 75–85 cm (30–33 in) long, it is the largest species of booby. The sexes have similar plumage. This species ranges across tropical oceans, except in the eastern Atlantic and eastern Pacific. Wikipedia →

<5% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Booby sighting in Manuel Antonio National Park, based on 20 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Manuel Antonio National Park

Blue-footed Booby
LC

Blue-footed Booby

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sula nebouxii

<5% · Rare
Red-footed Booby
LC

Red-footed Booby

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sula sula

<5% · Rare
Nazca Booby
LC

Nazca Booby

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sula granti

<5% · Rare
Magnificent Frigatebird
LC Endemic

Magnificent Frigatebird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Fregata magnificens

40–50% · Likely
Anhinga
LC

Anhinga

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anhinga anhinga

5–10% · With luck
Bigua cormorant

Bigua cormorant

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phalacrocorax brasilianus

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
5–10
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Isla del Coco National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
30–40%
2 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
3 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
4 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
5 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
6 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
7 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
8 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
9 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
10 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
11 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
12 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
13 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
14 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
15 Galápagos Islands 🇪🇨 Ecuador
Insufficient data
16 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Masked Booby in Manuel Antonio National Park?

About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Booby sighting in Manuel Antonio National Park, based on 20 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Masked Booby in Manuel Antonio National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Masked Booby in Manuel Antonio National Park in our monthly data.

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