Genovesa Island
Genovesa is one of the northernmost islands of this archipelago and has the largest colony of frigatebirds and red-footed boobies. Today we spent all day visiting two different locations in this paradise for seabirds. This picture shows a red-footed booby chick with the natal downy feathers that cover hatching birds. It is generally simpler in structure than adult down. The feathers rarely have a central rachis (except in ducks), and the barbs are simpler, with fewer barbules. Often natal down is immediately pushed out of the feather follicle by the emerging juvenile plumage and appears as tufts at the tip of new feathers. Feathers are the most characteristic feature of birds. Feathers form a strong, light, warm, and flexible integument and are a marvel of evolutionary form and function.
Genovesa is one of the northernmost islands of this archipelago and has the largest colony of frigatebirds and red-footed boobies. Today we spent all day visiting two different locations in this paradise for seabirds. This picture shows a red-footed booby chick with the natal downy feathers that cover hatching birds. It is generally simpler in structure than adult down. The feathers rarely have a central rachis (except in ducks), and the barbs are simpler, with fewer barbules. Often natal down is immediately pushed out of the feather follicle by the emerging juvenile plumage and appears as tufts at the tip of new feathers. Feathers are the most characteristic feature of birds. Feathers form a strong, light, warm, and flexible integument and are a marvel of evolutionary form and function.
