Karen Calder , Blue Footed Booby (January Theme: Blue)

"Why are their feet blue?" we hear you ask. This is a result of their ability to extract a pigment from the carotenoids in the fish that they eat. It concentrates in the feet as this dazzling aquamarine. The bluer the feet means the better the "fisherman," and the better he will be providing for the chicks. The bluer the feet the better is his chance of attracting a lady.

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