Foraging Behavior of the Red-footed Booby
— A High-density Plunge-diving Event

The Red-footed Booby, a member of the family Sulidae, is a pelagic seabird typically found around tropical oceanic islands and is infrequently observed near shore. These birds forage while in flight, scanning the sea surface for prey. In the South China Sea, their primary diet consists of flying fish, squid, and cuttlefish.

Upon locating prey, Red-footed Boobies execute high-speed, vertical plunge dives to capture it. During mass feeding events, the visual impact is striking: hundreds of individuals dive nearly simultaneously, resembling a storm of projectiles. The Chinese idiom “arrows falling like rain” aptly describes the density and coordination of such events.

These group foraging behaviors are often triggered by marine mammals such as dolphins and whales, which drive baitfish to the upper water column. The boobies opportunistically exploit this activity, synchronizing their dives to maximize feeding efficiency. This interspecies interaction exemplifies the dynamic and cooperative nature of pelagic food web processes.