The blue-footed booby breeds year round. Breeding begins with elaborate courtship displays by the male. He flies around his territory, flaunting his blue feet in an exaggerated high-stepping walk, and presents pieces of nest material to the female. After making a courtship flight, the male flashes his feet at the female as he lands. Then each bird tilts its bill up towards the sky and the male gives a piercing whistle. The female responds with groaning calls, and mating follows shortly afterwards.

The female lays her eggs in a shallow depression on flat ground. Clutch sizes vary from two to three eggs. Unlike most birds, the blue-footed booby lacks brooding patches (patches of bare skin that transmit heat to the eggs). As a result, the booby uses its webbed feet, which have an increased blood supply, to incubate the eggs. When the eggs begin to hatch, the female supports them on the top of her feet. The young remain on her feet for an entire month. Both parents feed the chicks by regurgitating fish and allowing the chick to remove it from their bills. The chicks are fed continuously, and if there is a food shortage, the largest chick is be given the food.

Average time to hatching: 41 days.

Average eggs per season: 2.