Birds of the Galapagos Islands
Many of the birds here are tame, or nearly so.
Left: a flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) gracefully arches its long neck on Floreana Island.
Above: A flamingo shows its black wing coloration.
Right: A Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is the only penguin found in the northern hemisphere.
Above: An immature waved albatross (Diomedea irrorata
) tries out its wings at Puenta Suarez on Hood Island.
Right: A mature Galapagos hawk (Buteo galapoensis) clings tightly to its marine iguana kill on Fernandina Island.
Below, right: An immature Galapagos hawk has met an untimely end at Irvina Bay on Isabela Island.
Below: An immature Galapagos hawk gazes unafraid from its perch at Irvina Bay.
Left: A nasca booby (Sula dactylatra
) demonstrates courting behavior at Punta Suarez on Hood Island.
Above: A nasca booby cares for its chick at Punta Suarez.
Left: A flightless cormorant (Nanopterum harrisi
) is one of 20 species of birds worldwide that has lost its ability to fly. It more than makes up for this lack with its superb swimming skills.
Above: Beautiful blue eyes of a flightless cormorant at Tagus Cove.
Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution after studying the enigma of the Darwin finch. This tiny bird comes in many varieties throughout the islands. To the left is a male and to the right is a female.
Above: A brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis
) holds its spot on the sand at Post Office Bay, Floreana Island.
Above right: A red-billed American oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) stands guard over its egg on Fernandina Island.
This lava heron (Butorides sundevalli) was hunting dinner right in the Puerto Ayora harbor on Santa Cruz Island.
Frigatebirds can be seen throughout the Galapagos. This one was soaring close to our boat.
Frigatebirds crowd around the cleaning station of a fishing boat at Urvina Bay, Isabela Island.
