Which bird performs a high-stepping courtship dance involving lifting its bright blue feet?

The bird that performs a high-stepping courtship dance while lifting its bright blue feet is the blue-footed booby. During courtship, the male alternately raises each foot and struts in front of the female, making the vivid color impossible to miss.

The display is more than theatrical choreography. The feet’s blue color comes from diet-related pigments and is treated as a sexually selected signal. Females tend to respond more favorably to males with brighter feet, because foot color can reflect recent condition, age, and the male’s ability to invest in raising chicks.

A male’s courtship sequence may also include presenting nesting material and “sky-pointing,” in which he raises his head and bill while holding his wings and tail in a distinctive posture. The blue-footed booby is generally monogamous, although mating behavior can be flexible.

The species lives along tropical and subtropical parts of the eastern Pacific, including the Galápagos Islands and coasts from California to Peru. Its dramatic feet are also useful in everyday life: boobies dive headfirst into the ocean to catch fish, with nostrils adapted to remain closed during dives.