Tropical Bird Finds A Temporary Home In Northeast Ohio

A tropical bird has taken up residence in Northeast Ohio.

The local appearance of the normally sea-going brown booby has created quite a stir among birders. It’s the first time the Caribbean native has been seen in Ohio.

Naturalist Janean Kazimir talks about the rare tropical migrant.

Summit County Metro Parks naturalist Janean Kazimir spotted the bird on a dead tree limb along the shore of  Nimisila Reservoir, just south of Akron.

She said the young bird likely got blown here by a recent hurricane, “with all those big winds pushing north, you have a young bird that maybe is not as strong at flying.”

The lone sea bird has plenty to eat at Nimisila, which is pristine habitat, but Kazimir is wondering what will happen when cold weather sets in.

“We really hope that nature is going to take its course and take it in the right way, that this bird is going to naturally find its way south.”

In the meantime the lone brown booby is drawing crowds of birders from all over Ohio and neighboring states, thrilled to add the rare migrant to their "life list" of sightings.

The bird’s unusual name is derived from early Spanish explorers who called the birds el bobo, the fool, because they showed no fear of humans, Kazimir said, and the name became “booby” in English.

The brown booby, or Sula leucogaster, is one of six species of booby, and with the closely related gannets make up the Sulid family.

Far from foolish, they are an ancient family of sea birds who are superb fish catchers. The Sulid family is unusual in that they lack external nostrils, which aids in their ability to dive into the ocean at high speeds.

The brown booby at Nimisila, when it hopefully reaches adulthood, will transform into a striking black and white bird with bright yellow feet.

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