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What real bird attack did Alfred Hitchcock research while preparing The Birds?

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Master of suspense — Alfred Hitchcock Alfred Hitchcock's talent as both filmmaker and storyteller is abundantly evident in a film catalog that includes *Dial M for Murder*, *Vertigo*, *Psycho*, and *The Birds*.

While preparing for his 1963 thriller The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock researched a real-life incident that occurred in 1961 in Capitola, California.1

During this event, massive flocks of sooty shearwaters attacked the town. It is believed that the birds had ingested anchovies that were poisoned by diatoms, which caused the birds to behave with extreme aggressiveness.1