As their name implies, these birds have red legs, and their bill and throat pouch are colored pink and blue. This species has several morphs. In the white morph the plumage is mostly white (the head is often tinged yellowish) and the flight feathers are black. The black-tailed white morph is similar, but with a black tail, and can easily be confused with the Nazca and masked boobies. The brown morph is overall brown. The white-tailed brown morph is similar but has a white belly, rump, and tail. The white-headed and white-tailed brown morph has a mostly white body, tail, and head, and brown wings and back. The morphs commonly breed together, but in most regions, one or two morphs predominates; for example, at the Galápagos Islands, most belong to the brown morph, though the white morph also occurs. The sexes are similar, and juveniles are brownish with darker wings, and pale pinkish legs, while chicks are covered in dense white down.
Red-footed boobies are found widely in the tropics. They breed on islands throughout the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. When not breeding, these birds are found in ocean waters.
Red-footed boobies are powerful and agile fliers, but they are clumsy in takeoffs and landings. They can travel up to 145 km (90 miles) when feeding. Boobies prefer to hunt at dusk and dawn. They hunt fish by diving from a height into the sea and pursuing their prey underwater. They are highly gregarious. Boobies breed in large colonies and often congregate at plentiful feeding sites.
Red-footed boobies are carnivores (piscivores). They mainly eat small fish (such as flying fish) or squid which gather in groups near the surface.
Red-footed boobies are monogamous breeders and form pairs that may remain together over several seasons. They perform elaborate greeting rituals, including harsh squawks and the male's display of his blue throat, also including short dances. Red-footed boobies nest in large colonies, placing their nests not far from each other. The nests are usually located in a tree or bush, but rarely boobies may nest on the ground. Females lay one chalky blue egg in a stick nest, which is incubated by both parents for 44-46 days. It may be 3 months before the young first fly, and 5 months before they make extensive flights. Red-footed boobies become reproductively mature and start to breed when they are between 2 and 3 years old.
Red-footed boobies are hunted illegally for food in some areas of their range but they are not considered threatened at present.
According to IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Red-footed booby is 1.4 million mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.