What does the African Hobby eat?

The African Hobby's diet shapes where and when you'll find it. Understanding what it eats helps you predict where to look.

Diet overview

Carnivore (primarily insects and small birds)

How it forages

Primarily an aerial hunter. It preys on a wide variety of insects, especially large flying insects like termites, grasshoppers, beetles, and moths, often caught in flight at dusk. It also hunts small birds, particularly swifts, swallows, and martins, which it pursues with remarkable agility. Occasionally takes small bats or lizards. Hunts from a high perch or by soaring and stooping.

When it feeds

Diurnal, but often most active at dawn and dusk (crepuscular), especially when hunting insects.

Explore the African Hobby