A record of a red-footed Booby Sula Sula (L.) from the Cape Verde Islands, with a review of the status of this species in the South Atlantic Ocean

The first Western Palearctic record of a Red-footed Booby Sula sula (L., 1766), a brown whitetailed morph observed on Cima (Cape Verde Islands), is described. The status of this species in the tropical South Atlantic Ocean is evaluated. At present, Fernando de Noronha is the only South Atlantic stronghold of the species (ca. 4000 individuals; cf. Oren, 1984). The species has disappeared, or almost so, from other islands (St. Helena: absent; Ascension:0-30 individuals; Ilha da Trindade: less than 100 pairs). A link may exist between the apparent recent increase of the population of Fernando de Noronha and the apparent recent decline of the Trindade population. It seems possible that the Trindade population for some unknown reason has migrated to Fernando de Noronha. It is concluded that the Caribbean and South Atlantic populations do not mix on a significant scale. These two populations predominantly consist of brown white-tailed and white morphs, respectively; thus indicating a considerable genetic difference. Distance between the two populations (possibly combined with prevalent conditions in the intervening area) apparently forms an effective barrier.