The Blue-footed Booby - A Name Influenced by Time
- Zach (Head Flocker)
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Welcome to our bird name series, which focuses on where the names of birds came from! The Blue-footed Booby is the subject of this edition of "What's in a Name."
Don't be a boob. Join the Flock!
Do you know what it means to be a boob?
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No
Is it me? Am I the boob?
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The boob: From fool to mammary
Yes, booby. Commense schoolyard snickers. Now, let's talk turkey. The word booby is a modification of the Spanish word bobo, meaning fool, with origins from the Latin term balbus, meaning stammering, probably of imitative origin. However, the origins of booby referring to human mammaries may have emerged in the 1920s as slang. However, some evidence suggests the term may have also been used for human mammaries in the 1600s and 1700s, first as the word bubby.
Even after this shift in the 1920s for multiple meanings, the word boob would still act as an insult to call someone a fool. A favored show of this author from the 1960s, The Andy Griffith Show, saw Deputy Barney Fife call local mechanic Gomer Pyle a boob for giving him a citizen's arrest. Which, of course, was an insult in the face of the public. While this insult is not regularly part of the vernacular, I strongly advocate for its return. (And for the discontinuance of its use for body parts.)
For the bird, booby does refer to the Spanish origin meaning buffoon. Why? That is a more difficult question to answer. It could be due to their feeding antics of diving from great heights into the water, their appearance, or the comical dance(s) often performed by the boobies. These dances usually include pointing their heads up in the sky, bowing, shaking wings and/or tails, or parading around and showing their stunning feet to their mates. In Blue-footed Boobies especially, a foot fetish seems to be prominent.
Awkward.
My favorite bird feeder is the Birds Choice Seedcatcher!
The blue foot: An obvious moniker
I do not feel much is needed for this section. The prominent blue feet of this species are very obvious in adults of both sexes. Enjoy this foot photo. We are not even charging extra.
Sula nebouxii: The scientific name of the Blue-footed Booby
Sula is a Norwegian term for gannet. Gannets and boobies are both in the sulid family and do look similar. Though, the boobies are more tropical and subtropical than the Northern Gannet, which is the sulid species found in the Palearctic. The species name nebouxii comes from the French naval surgeon explorer Adolphe-Simon Neboux (1806-1885). Adolphe was on the Pacific voyage of the Venus from 1836 to 1839.
The Blue-footed Booby: A name in other languages
The Blue-footed Booby has a variety of names across the globe. Learn a few of those below, along with some explanations of the literal translation.
Spanish
The general Spanish name for the Blue-footed Booby is Piquero Camanay. From my research, Camanay is a term for Blue-footed Booby, and piquero means dive.
Spanish (Chile)
In Chile, Piquero de patas azules the way to say Blue-footed Booby. In this translation, this comes out as diver with blue feet.
Spanish (Mexico)
In Mexico, the Bobo Patas Azules is the Blue-footed Booby. Using the Spanish term bobo, which means fool, this phrase means the fool with the blue feet.
Spanish (Peru)
For Peru, Piquero de Pata Azul, again, translates to diver with blue feet.
French (Canadian)
The phrase Fou à pieds bleus was a little tougher to crack for Blue-footed booby. My research suggests this means fool with the blue feet. There is a clear theme.
Icelandic
The word Blásúla, from my minimal translation, appears to mean blue and white. Which aptly describes this bird.
Norwegian
The term blåfotsule in Norwegian translates to blue-footed sole. Again, a well-describing name for the Blue-footed Booby.
Dutch
This might be my favorite name for the Blue-footed Booby, Blauwvoetgent. If you know Dutch, please comment with some help on the translation, but blauw is blue, and voet is the foot. Voetgent appears to mean footman or pedestrian, though I did find a translation for it as foot booby. Regardless, this is a fun word.
Have a laugh with this funny (yet accurate) bird shirt!
What's in a name: the Blue-footed Booby
In the grand tapestry of birds, the Blue-footed Booby certainly stands out with its vibrant blue feet and playful antics! Its name also stands out, as it not only highlights the bird's comical nature but also connects us to linguistic histories spanning across the centuries, where booby moved from "fool" to slang for certain human body parts. Whether you are chuckling at its clumsy diving or admiring its flashy footwork during courtship displays, this quirky bird invites us to celebrate both its uniqueness and the joy of language. So next time you see these charming creatures waddle about, remember—it’s not just a booby; it’s a delightful reminder of the fun we can have with bird names! (And then snicker a little bit for getting to shout the word booby out loud when you see one.)
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Photo Credits
Blue-footed Boobies
