These birds make use of quick reflexes and spectacular skills to hunt fish! Learn about osprey, loons, and more fish-eating birds.
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Courtesy Bill Stolfi Osprey
Osprey
If you’re lucky enough to have an osprey nesting near you, you might also be lucky enough to watch it hunt for its next meal. Fish account for 99% of a “sea hawk” bird’s diet, but they’re unable to dive more than three feet below the water’s surface. Because of this, they tend to hunt in shallower waters by snagging prey in their talons.
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Courtesy David Malone Great blue heron
Herons
A heron’s ability to hunt fish depends on its quick reflexes and strong beak. They often sit still as they wait for fish to swim past. Then, they use their long necks to strike, catching their next meal in their beak. Herons may also impale fish. Unlike the osprey, herons have a varied diet and will also eat reptiles, amphibians, insects, and even other birds. Herons can occasionally become a problem for homeowners if a bird starts removing expensive fish from a pond. Egrets and bitterns, members of the same bird family, hunt fish using similar tactics.
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Courtesy Ken Davis Bald eagle
Eagles
Glimpsing an eagle is cause enough to celebrate, but watching one plunge into the water in pursuit of a fish is exceptionally thrilling. Similarly to the osprey, bald eagles eat a diet comprised of mainly fish — although they’ll eat everything from rabbits to crabs, if available. Interestingly, their eating habits can vary from gorging to starving, and they can survive for days without eating. While golden eagles eat fewer fish than bald eagles, they do eat fish and even seals.
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Courtesy Jacob Hiller Brown pelican
Pelicans
As many probably already know, pelicans eat fish. American white pelicans hunt by using their beaks to scoop up small fish in their pouch — amusingly, other birds like seagulls may then come along and steal the fish from the pelican’s mouth. Brown pelicans, on the other hand, hunt by diving from up to 65 feet in the air. Their throat pouch can hold nearly three gallons of water!
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Courtesy Dorene Bass Atlantic puffin
Atlantic Puffins
These unique-looking, fish eating birds are known for spending time on Maine’s islands during breeding season. While they’re there, Atlantic puffins hunt for fish. Their diet consists of smaller fish, including sand lance, herring, and cod. Their large bills allow them to catch multiple fish at a time, and spines on the roof of their mouth holds their meal in place.
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Courtesy Allen Sparks Belted kingfisher
Kingfishers
While a kingfisher’s diet can vary depending on species and available food, they eat fish including smaller freshwater species and trout. They hunt by diving into the water and submerging their head, then pulling back with a meal they swallow headfirst. It’s relatively easy to spot a kingfisher searching for food, as they’ll usually survey the water from a prominent perch like a branch or a power line.
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Courtesy Norman D. Cline
Cormorants
Birds in the cormorant family are underwater masters. Some of the most adept fish eating birds, they catch fish by swimming beneath the surface using their feet to propel them. Their unique techniques allow them to chase fish beneath the surface, and their hooked beaks come in handy when securing their next meal. Similarly to kingfishers, they have a habit of eating prey headfirst.
Learn about the anhinga, another waterbird to know.
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Courtesy Cindy Breault Common loon
Loons
Similarly to cormorants, common loons make underwater fishing look easy. They dive beneath the water and pursue fish by kicking their webbed feet; they’re able to pivot easily and submerge themselves quickly.
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Courtesy Robert Ongna Male red-breasted merganser
Mergansers
Mergansers, which are ducks that specialize in eating fish, hunt similarly to loons. Astonishingly, male common mergansers can swallow fish up to 1 foot in length.
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