A biologist along the coast of the Outer Banks in North Carolina snapped a shot of a peculiar visitor hovering over the water.
It was a large black and white seabird with a black face and yellow bill. It’s usually not seen at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, where it was spotted, officials said in a Facebook post.
But the bird’s name may be even more unusual than its unexpected appearance: the masked booby.
Masked boobies are usually found in the tropical open ocean, but this rare visitor may have flown to the shore because of Tropical Storm Alex, according to the post by the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
The bird may look a bit “like a Northern Gannet in disguise,” the seashore said.
“Well it’s masked, so are we sure?? It could be a different booby!” one commenter said.
Masked boobies normally only come to shore to breed, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
