2011 Volume 42 Issue 2 Pages 147-153
On 17th May 2009 an individual Brewster's Brown Booby Sula leucogaster brewsteri was observed and photographed, on Nakanokamishima Island, a breeding ground for six seabird species, including the related subspecies S. l. plotus. Diagnostic characteristics of the individual included a whitish head, cheeks and throat, becoming gradually pale brown on the neck. The coloration of the facial skin around the eyes was rich blue, which is characteristic of the male. The absence of dark mottles on the normally white area from the lower breast to belly, which constitute juvenile and immature stages, indicate that the individual was an adult. This is the first record of this subspecies from Japan.
