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Brown Booby found 500 kms from Tubbataha


BB 0738 found 500 kms from its birthplace in Tubbataha 

Metal and colored bands were attached to some Brown Boobies in Tubbataha 12 years ago.

(Photos by Riza Edades) 

Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) 0738 (BB 0738) is 12 years old.  It was barely a year old when we attached its numbered bands.  Bird banding helps researchers better understand dispersal, migration, life span, survival rate, behavior, reproductive success, and growth of birds.

BB 0738 was never sighted in Tubbataha in the intervening years.  Yesterday, it landed on the boat of Jundie Wabe, a fisherman in Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental after flying 500 kms from Tubbataha. It is now under the care of DENR Misamis Oriental and was released in the wild this afternoon.

We would like to give special thanks to: Jundie Wabe, Bgy. Capt. Cristobal Bustamante, Ms. Riza Edades who reached out to Palawan News, Ms. Espie Faster who sent us a message through our Facebook Page, PENRO Ferdinand Dagulo, Liza Requina of Misamis Oriental, and Ana Mae Tingson of CENRO Intao. Thank you also to Romar Miranda for writing about BB 0738.  This long list of supporters only goes to show that sometimes it will many people from different communities working together to take care of nature.  We thank you from the bottom of the sea!

Should you find a seabird with a band (metal and/or plastic ring) please report sightings to the Tubbataha Management Office through telephone: (048) 716-1631; mobile: 0998-552-1174 / 0917-553-0909; email: tmo@tubbatahareefs.org or through our Facebook Page @OfficialTubbataha.  To help us learn more about these birds and care for them better, please provide us with the following information:

  • number written on the band
  • time and place of sighting or recovery
  • circumstances of recovery (resting on boat or surface of the water, injured, etc.)
  • your name and contact number

For another story of a Brown Booby found far away from Tubbataha, click the link below:
http://tubbatahareefs.org/brown-booby-a0703-free-to-fly-again-in-tubbataha/