Belize: The Magnificent Booby Birds

The Red-Footed Booby is a species within the Pelican family that lives in tropical coastal areas. This Booby Bird is also found on tropical islands in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans, excluding Africa's Atlantic side.

In Belize the Booby is most often found out on the Cayes, most notably Half Moon Caye, part of which, in 1928, was gazetted as a Crown Reserve Bird Sanctuary under the Crown Land Ordinance. The Crown Sanctuary Reserve was specifically dedicated to protecting the Red-Footed Booby Bird. The Crown Reserve was the first and still is the oldest area designated for the protection of wildlife in Belize.

Half Moon Caye is currently home to a colony of about 4,000 plus birds including the Booby Bird. Boobies like to nest in very large colonies among the orange-flowered Ziricote thicket. At the western end of Half Moon Caye one has a spectacular view of the Boobies from an observation deck.

The Booby mother will lay only one light blue egg in her nest, which is made from sticks. Using their feet both Booby parents will take turns incubating their eggs for about 44 to 46 days then the babies will learn to fly about 3 months after hatching. Boobies must use their feet to incubate their eggs as they do not have a brood patch. Mating Booby pairs may remain together over several seasons though they do not stay together for life.

The Boobies love of the Ziricote trees is not a one-sided relationship. The Booby colony actually supports the forest's stability with their droppings which the forest uses as fertilizer. This very unique relationship between Booby and Ziricote has and will continue to endure for many future years if it is left alone as nature intended.

The Booby has a very unique variety of color morphs, unlike other seabirds. The Boobies on Half Moon Caye are made up almost entirely of white-colored birds with some black markings on the tips of their wings. Elsewhere Boobies are a light brown and looking into the flock you may see a white-tailed brown morph or a Red-Footed Booby that is entirely brown. Despite plumage differences, all of these adults will have the same characteristic: red feet.

Being a coastal bird it is no surprise that Red-Footed Boobies eat fish. Like many fishing birds Boobies will dive into the ocean at high rates of speed from the air to catch prey in the water. Their diet has a main makeup of small fish and squid which will sometimes swim in large numbers close to the water's surface.

The Red-Footed Boobies in Belize are the smallest of all the nine Booby bird species in the world. There are three Booby bird species in Belize: the Masked, Red-Footed and the Blue-Footed Booby. The Red-Footed Booby is about 28 inches in length and has a wingspan of just over 3 feet. The Boobies' 3 foot wingspan makes them very powerful and agile fliers, however, they are known for clumsy takeoffs and landings.

A trip out to Half Moon Caye to see these magnificent birds will be an experience you will remember for the rest of your life!

Anthony Benjamin, an avid writer, world traveler and a great lover of nature. He would like for you to check-out his latest book: http://www.amazon.com/Belize-Wildlife-Barrier-Fishing-ebook/dp/B007E2SFNQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336140932&sr=8-1

Hurricane Richard to dump rain on Belize, Yucatan - CNN International

NEW: Hurricane Richard has maximum sustained winds of 85 mphNEW: The storm is moving west-northwest at 12 mphBelize and the Yucatan Peninsula can expect heavy rain and storm surgesThe storm isn't likely to threaten the United States

(CNN) -- The storm known as Richard intensified in the Caribbean from a tropical storm into a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported.

Hurricane Richard was located off the northeast coast of Honduras, moving west-northwest at 12 mph Sunday morning, the center said.

The storm is forecast to continue to strengthen, possibly becoming a Category 2 hurricane before it reaches the coast of Belize by Sunday evening.

Along with hurricane force winds, the main threat from the slow-moving Richard is the large amounts of rain it will dump on Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula. It is expected to produce three to six inches of rain with local amounts totaling 10 inches. These rains could produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides, especially in the mountainous terrain.

Hurricane Richard is expected to weaken over land and reemerge in the Bay of Campeche as a tropical depression. Conditions are not favorable for redevelopment in the extreme southwestern Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center expects Richard to continue to dissipate into a remnant low.

"It is not a concern for the U.S.," said John Cangialosi with the hurricane center. "Even if it does get into the southern Gulf of Mexico, a very strong wind sheer of that area will continue to weaken the system."

A wind sheer is caused when winds go in different directions, causing the storm to weaken.

CNN Meteorologist Monica O'Conner and CNN Radio's Ninette Sosa contributed to this report.

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