Scientists attached minuscule cameras to two red-footed boobies, which recorded footage of the seabirds hunting a shoal of flying fish in the Indian Ocean.
The birds live on a remote archipelago and were following the fish that can make powerful leaps out of the water. The camera caught the boobies plucking the fish from the air on 14 separate occasions. It is the first-ever footage of its kind.
“The cameras recorded footage of the birds catching flying fish just above the surface of the water, while on the wing,” says Dr Ruth Dunn, a Visiting Researcher at Lancaster University and lead author of the study.
“We suspected this happened, but this is the first time that we’ve had bird-borne footage like this showing them foraging and catching fish mid-air. It could suggest they are catching a significant portion of their diet in this way.”
The cameras the team attached were Little Leonardo video loggers that weigh a meagre 15 grams (3.6 teaspoons), which represents a further 1.7% of body mass for the birds. The cameras were equipped to the boobies via a plastic leg ring.
The team also attached GPS and accelerator tracking devices to 18 more red-footed boobies to discover how the seabirds use the wind to travel hundreds of miles above open ocean in a bid to catch fish.
By choosing favorable winds, the birds can fly faster without flapping more. The researchers suggest this behavior may be an adaptation to the birds’ patchy and unpredictable food supply.
Tracking data showed the birds were more likely to keep hunting in windy conditions and less likely to rest. This may be because flying fish stay airborne longer in stronger winds, giving the birds more chances to catch them.
“We found that the birds foraged in windy conditions and we think that this might be because flying fish are able to glide in the air for longer in these conditions, making them more accessible to the boobies,” adds Dr. Dunn.
Birds That Become Photographers
While the boobies may have recorded the first-ever POV shot of a flying fish hunt, it is not the first time a camera has been attached to a bird.
Pigeons have long been used to carry cameras during war, including the First World War and the Cold War.
Last year, PetaPixel featured photographer David Degner who attached an Insta360 Go to a pigeon which captured fascinating shots from above.
The results of Dr. Ruth’s and the team’s research was published in the Royal Society.
Image credits: Dr. Ruth Dunn, et al.
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