Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
How would you like to be known for your most obvious physical characteristic? Caricature artists love personalities like Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan because of their prominent facial qualities which they enjoy exaggerating. Similarly, that characteristic which the Blue-footed Booby thrusts to the front is its feet. Those feet are remembered in its name, which helps separate it from its red-footed cousin, but they are prominent in their behavior as well.
Much attention has been given to their elaborate mating ritual where the males will display before the female by lifting their bright blue feet high in the air while strutting their stuff. The more impressive his footwork, the more likely he is to impress his would-be mate. Not only are these feet considered attractive but they are also highly functional. Arranged in a totipalmate layout where all four toes are webbed, these large feet are also wrapped around their eggs to aid in the incubation process. All of this activity takes place on tropical and subtropical atolls of the Pacific with about half of the breeding population nesting on the Galapagos Islands.
But let’s switch from the physical to the moral or ethical side of things. After all, apparently God is more interested in this part of our makeup than how our toes are arranged. If a caricature could be made of your character, which of your many attributes would be likely to come to the forefront? And would your answer coincide with those given by your husband, wife, parents, friends, or others who know you well? It’s a question seabirds don’t have to answer, but one that should be at the top of the list for you and me.