Seabird cam lets you experience diving for food

Sandrine Ceurstemont, editor, New Scientist TV

You can now see what it's like to hitch a ride on the back of a seabird as it dives for food, thanks to a new video. Captured by Flavio Quintana from the Wildlife Conservation Society and his team off the coast of Punta León, Argentina, the footage gives the first bird's eye view of a cormorant's feeding technique.

Filmed with a small camera fitted on a bird's back, the video tracks a cormorant swooping underwater, reaching the ocean floor 45 metres below in just 40 seconds. After about a minute, it catches a snake-like fish and resurfaces to eat it.

The team has been studying the bird's feeding behaviour for the past 10 years, using tags and GPS loggers to monitor their activity. The video is being used to help identify the birds' feeding areas so that protected areas can be established.

If you enjoyed this post, watch a goose flying upside-down captured in slow-mo or see what a video camera is revealing about great tit flight.