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Many people take pride in their hunting skills. These men and women spend a lot of time honing their skills in tracking and catching prey. Some of these hunting enthusiasts prefer to compare their skills with any type of fish. Whether it’s fly fishing along a stream or fishing in the open ocean, fishing is an important pastime and entertainment. Although some people are considered great anglers, even the best anglers pale in comparison to the best animals. Animals that target fish have developed unique adaptations to help them fish, including claws, beaks, and quick reflexes. Among the best of these animals are the numerous fish-eating birds. With their keen eyesight and speed of flight or water, birds can fish in droves. Eagles, seagulls, ducks, herons, storks, cormorants, osprey and penguins eat fish, but how do they do it?
In this article, we’ll take a look at 7 different birds that eat fish. Let’s discuss where they live and what they look like. In addition, we will learn how they eat fish and what makes them such great hunters. Hopefully you can see one of these birds in action as it dives for food. Let’s start exploring 7 birds that eat fish.
# 7: Bald Eagle
The bald eagle is a sea eagle in the Accipitridae family. Found only in North America, the bald eagle lives near open water bodies located between Alaska and Mexico. As the national bird of the United States, the bald eagle is one of the most recognizable birds in the world. It gets its name from its white head, which contrasts sharply with its predominantly dark brown plumage. They average 28 to 40 inches in length with a wingspan of 5 feet 11 inches to 7 feet 7 inches. Once threatened by the use of pesticides with DDT, bald eagles are thriving again. They are currently listed as the Least Concern species by the IUCN.
Bald eagles opportunistically feed on almost anything they can get their hands on, including trash. However, the bulk of their diet includes fish such as trout, salmon and catfish. Of the birds that eat fish, the bald eagle is capable of killing the largest prey. While most fish are about a foot long, they can carry fish nearly 34 inches long through the air. Typically, bald eagles feed on carrion that floats to the surface, or on the dead fish of other animals. However, they will also dive from the sky and catch live fish with their claws. They then begin to tear apart the fish with their claws, which have ten times the gripping power of humans.
# 6: common tern
The common tern belongs to the Laridae family of seabirds. Like other terns, it migrates strongly and flies south in winter. In summer, it lives in temperate and subarctic regions of North America, Europe and Asia. In winter, terns will migrate south to warmer coastal regions of South America, Africa and Australia. The most common terms are black cap, white cheeks, neck and lower body, and gray back and wings. On average, they are 12 to 14 inches long and have webbed feet. Their beaks appear rather long and change color from orange at the back to black at the front. They nest in large colonies that can contain tens of thousands of birds, especially in coastal populations.
Common terns are birds that primarily eat fish, although they also eat insects, worms, squid and crustaceans. They hunt by diving headfirst into the water from a height of up to 20 degrees above the surface of the water. They do not dive deep, however, and will only dive 2 feet below the surface of the water before returning. The fish most commonly attacked by terns are 2 to 6 inches long, such as sardines. Common terns feed in flocks and can also steal fish from other birds. The common term is that once a fish is caught, it will swallow it whole or carry it back to its nest.
# 5: Great Blue Heron
The great blue heron is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae. Although most of them live in North America, you can also find them in the Galapagos Islands and the Caribbean. They live in a variety of wetlands, including lakes, swamps, and streams. Of all the herons in North America, the great blue heron is clearly the largest. They average 36 to 54 inches long with a wingspan of 66 to 79 inches. They got their name because of their large size and distinctive plumage. Their plumage looks blue-gray on the back and wings, light gray on the neck, and white and black in the front. Like all herons, great blue herons have a long beak that appears yellowish orange.
Unlike some birds that eat fish in groups, great blue herons live alone and mostly hunt alone. Along with fish, they eat a wide variety of prey including crustaceans, insects, rodents, frogs, and reptiles such as snakes. The type of fish they consume differs depending on the region in which they live. The common fish species include flounder, perch, perch, smelt and stickleback. Great blue herons usually hunt fish by standing motionless at the water’s edge. However, they can also fish while walking or flying. They rely on their keen eyesight to spot prey and then charge forward with their long beaks. The great blue heron, having caught a fish, will swallow it whole.
# 4: osprey
The osprey, also known as the fish hawk, is a bird of prey in the Pandionidae family. The term osprey is often used to refer to the western osprey as opposed to the eastern osprey. Together, these two birds make up the osprey family, although scientists also recognize several subspecies. Osprey can be found on all continents except Antarctica, making them the most common predators after the peregrine falcon. They live in a wide variety of habitats, although they tend to stay close to bodies of water. They average 19.5 to 26 inches in length and 50 to 71 inches in wingspan. Their plumage is dark brown on the back and wings and white on the chest, head and lower body.
Osprey are among the birds that eat fish almost exclusively. Overall, fish makes up 99% of his diet. However, they sometimes eat small mammals or birds if available. They will eat almost any fish they can catch, including all fish under 4.5 pounds. When hunting, osprey rely on their sight to spot fish from the air. Noticing the target, the osprey will dive and dive feet into the water. Depending on the depth, the osprey fish can completely submerge under the surface of the water. After catching fish, most ospreys carry their prey back to the place where they can sit and eat it.
# 3: Great Cormorant
Great cormorant belongs to the Phalacrocoracidae cormorant family. Depending on the region in which it lives, the great cormorant has many other names. Other names include black cormorant, black cormorant, and great cormorant. Cormorants are quite widespread and inhabit a variety of wetland habitats, including coastal areas, lakes and rivers. You can find them in the eastern United States, Greenland, Europe, West and East Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, and Australia. Generally, cormorants range in size from 27.5 to 40 inches with a wingspan of 47.5 to 63 inches. Their plumage is predominantly black, with yellow spots on the throat.
Great cormorants hunt for fish by diving into the water. Among the birds that eat fish, the cormorant uses the same tactics as diving ducks. They dive into the water with their beak forward and can stay underwater for up to 30 seconds. During this time, they dive to a depth of 19 feet below the surface of the water. While in the water, they rely on both their eyesight and their sensitive underwater hearing to find fish. Common fish that cormorants eat include smelt, soles, and wrasses. After catching a fish, the cormorant usually swallows the fish whole.
# 2: Shubill Stork
The whale-headed stork, also known as the whale-headed stork, is one of the most unusual looking birds to eat fish. Despite its name, the whale-billed stork is actually a member of the Pelecaniformes order of herons and pelicans. The whale-headed stork is the only member of the Balaenicipitdae family, making it one of the most unique birds in the world. White-billed storks are found only in wetlands such as swamps and swamps in sub-Saharan Africa. They are usually 39 to 55 inches long and have a wingspan of 7 feet 7 inches to 8 feet 6 inches. Their plumage appears to be gray-blue, with darker blue feathers along the edges of the wings. They got their name from the distinctive beak, which is the third longest among all existing birds. Unfortunately, due to habitat loss and poaching, the stork is listed as a vulnerable category by the IUCN.
White-billed storks primarily eat fish, although they also eat other aquatic animals, including frogs, snakes, and other vertebrates. In particular, they hunt several species of lungfish, bichir, tilapia and catfish. Because of their large, sharp beaks, whale beak storks can hunt large prey up to 3.3 feet in length. During the hunt, whale-billed storks stand extremely still and wait until their prey comes within shot range. As soon as they spot the fish with their keen eyesight, they will rush with their beaks and catch the prey. Depending on their size, they usually swallow their prey whole, although they may bite into smaller pieces.
# 1: Emperor Penguin
The emperor penguin is a member of the Spheniscidae penguin family. It is the largest member of the penguin family and one of the most recognizable fish-eating birds. Emperor penguins are native to Antarctica and live close to the coast. Due to land changes in summer and winter, emperor penguins migrate long distances overland, following the moving coastline. On average, emperor penguins are 39 inches long and weigh 49 to 99 pounds. Their plumage appears black on the back, white in the front and yellow on the neck. Due to climate change, the IUCN currently classifies the emperor penguin as an endangered species.
Like other penguins, emperor penguins cannot fly. However, this does not prevent them from effectively hunting fish in the water. Emperor penguins can dive up to 1,755 feet below the surface of the water. They can hold their breath for nearly 20 minutes in search of food and swim at 5.6 miles per hour. Although their diet also includes squid, crabs and shrimp, emperor penguins mostly eat fish. In particular, they eat large quantities of Antarctic silverfish and cod. In one dive, the emperor penguin can catch several fish before returning to the surface.
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