2016 Volume 47 Issue 2 Pages 130-135
Seabirds capture squid in many ways, that mainly involve diving to capture them at the ocean surface or underwater. We present here the first photographic evidence of a seabird, a Red-footed Booby Sula sula, capturing an airborne squid. When a school of squid took flight following disturbance by our boat, a booby flying alongside swooped and approached a flying squid from behind, caught it in the air and ascended quickly. Soon after swallowing the squid, the booby made a plunge-dive and caught another squid that had just landed in the water after a period in flight. Plunge-diving was subsequently repeated over a separate school of squid that had just re-entered the water after flight. Seabirds other than the Red-footed Booby may have frequent opportunities for finding and feeding on airborne squid.
