With cerulean flippers and electric eyes, the male blue-footed booby waddles around in a mating dance, gradually approaching his desired mate. The female evaluates him. If she approves his health (noted primarily in the vibrancy of his feet), she knocks noses with him. And with that gesture, it’s settled. They’re an item — at least for now.
For the next six months, the two become full-blown millennials and do life together. They move into the same nest and get it on. And once with child, they share household tasks, swapping between incubating the eggs and fishing off the coast.
Following the birth of their 1-3 children, the parents quickly become empty nesters. Their hatchlings reach three months, and then leave home.
The kids aren’t the only ones wanting space. After the young fly out on their own, the male and female spend their days in solitude for six months. (As I saw it, each solo bird appeared to be either taking in the view or settling in for a nap.)
Next mating season, the couple can pair up for another round of family time, or opt for a new partner.
According to my Isla de la Plata tour guide, who could’ve been making up all of this, which I didn’t bother to fact check, even on Wikipedia, blue-footed boobies mate for most of their 25-year lives, taking off a few years on each end for the more banal tasks of aging and dying. The end.
At least they share the parenting duties, even though the relationship might be brief…