Helena Kristel, Masked Booby - stages of development (ANIMAL & NATURE 2025)

This portfolio shows different stages of development of Masked Booby birds found on Norfolk Island, a small Australian island in the South Pacific. The masked booby is the largest of the six booby species. They range in length from 75 – 85 cm, have a wingspan of 160 -170 cm and weigh between 1.2 – 2.2 kg. They can live between 15 – 25 years. The young chicks are white and fluffy, the juveniles are characterised by their dark brown head and neck, brown back and are white underneath. They have a distinctive white collar and their bill is a dull yellow. The adults are white with black wings and have a dark face mask, they have a yellow bill. I was very pleased to see these birds for the first time and see the different stages of development. I found the size of the very young chick against its parent fascinating. Image 1 – adult preening itself Image 2 - very young chick Image 3 – juvenile Image 4 – adult and very young chick

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.