Last updated on June 4th, 2023 at 03:23 pm
Diving birds are common along Florida’s coastlines and inland lakes, including both freshwater and saltwater areas. Which birds live in Florida and where can you find them?
Here are 8 common Florida birds that dive for fish:
1. Anhinga
Anhingas have a heron-like figure, with long wings and a snake-like neck.
They spend much of their lives in the water, bodies submerged and beaks pointed toward the sky.
Sometimes they’re mistaken for snakes, which is why some call the Anhinga a Snake Bird.
Unlike other birds, Anhingas have very dense bones to suit their underwater lifestyle. They also have spear-like beaks used to stab fish and other prey.
Anhingas are very common along the Florida coastline and can often be spotted drying out in the sunshine after their time underwater.
Often, they’ll do this in treetops or along shorelines. They’ll also dry out their wings by “running” on the water with their wings flapping.
2. Double-Breasted Cormorant
Double-Breasted Cormorants are about the size of a small goose, with a kinked neck and a heron-like figure, like the Anhinga.
However, unlike the Anhinga, this bird has a hooked bill.
They are brownish-black, with some yellowish-orange skin near the face.
In general, young members of the species are lighter-colored than adults.
These birds float on the water’s surface most of the time and dive below the surface to catch small fish.
Once they’re done fishing, they’ll stand on rocks, tree limbs, and other nearby places on the coastline to spread their wings out and dry.
The Double-Breasted Cormorant is the most common cormorant in North America.
You can find them along the Florida coastline, as well as at large inland freshwater lakes.
3. Brown Pelican
Both Brown Pelicans and White Pelicans are common in Florida, but only Brown Pelicans dive for fish.
They have a large bill with a pouch which they use to hold fish after they’ve caught them, and a thin neck.
Their wings are broad, long, and bowed, which you can see while they’re gliding.
It has brown feathers and yellow heads, and they’re very approachable.
They live along southern and western coasts in the United States, including along the Florida coastline.
They can be found nesting in colonies, especially on small islands.
After diving, Brown Pelicans will drain water from their bills, but while they’re doing this, gulls will sometimes try to steal the fish away.
They’ll also try to steal fish from other birds or fishing boats, so they can sometimes be found around piers.
4. Osprey
The Osprey is a large diving bird with a six-foot wingspan and a height of 2’.
This raptor’s sickle-shaped, razor-sharp talons are indicative of its ancient ancestor the dinosaur.
It lives in both freshwater and saltwater habitats, including many places in Florida.
They’re especially common in Florida during the winter months, as they’re migrating birds.
Although the pesticide DDT depleted Osprey populations in the past, the species has done better since the United States banned DDT in 1972.
Pesticides often enter the waterways and become concentrated in fish, which is why fish-eating birds like the Osprey were especially at risk.
They maintain their nests from year to year, sharing with a lifelong mate.
The female will sit on the eggs for about five weeks until they hatch, taking breaks only to fish, at which time the males will take over incubation.
5. Terns
Terns are gull-like birds with gray backs and white bellies. They have forked tails, narrow bodies, and sharp beaks used for spearing fish.
Typically, terns will hover over the water 10’-30’ in the air, then dive to catch a fish.
There are four common terns in Florida:
- Royal Tern (orange bill)
- Caspian Tern (blood red bill)
- Least tern (yellow bill)
- Forster’s tern (orange-red bill and black cap)
Altogether, 17 types of terns live in North America, almost all black and white.
They travel long distances when they migrate, with the Arctic Tern traveling from the Arctic to the Antarctic over the course of the year.
6. Black Skimmer
The Black Skimmer catches fish by skimming over the water at a shallow depth with its beak open. Typically, it can be seen at sunset along Florida beaches.
They’re able to see while gliding due to their vertical pupils, which narrow to cut the glare of the water and the white sand.
The commercial harvesting of their eggs once threatened Black Skimmers, but they have since recovered.
Still, their nesting colonies are sensitive to disturbances, so it’s best to keep a distance.
They can most often be found along ocean beaches and in tidewaters, as well as in sheltered bays, estuaries, lagoons, and inland lakes in Florida.
They eat both fish and crustaceans.
7. Northern Gannet
The Northern Gannet is a seabird that lives along the Atlantic Coast of the United States and Canada, spending winter months in southern areas like Florida.
They dive for fish, usually aiming for schools of small fish like herring, sand lance, and pollack.
Sometimes, Northern Gannets also eat squid or pick up the scraps left by fishing boats.
They dive for fish from more than 100’ above the surface or submerge their heads while swimming.
They also sometimes steal fish directly from other birds.
They feed fish to their young by eating and then regurgitating the food directly into their mouths.
You can recognize a Northern Gannet by its white body and yellow head, plus by the black tips on its wings and black feet.
8. Brown Booby
The Brown Booby lives in Florida year-round, most often near Dry Tortugas.
The seabird perches in trees and forages by plunging headfirst into the water, usually from a position low above the surface.
They’ll sometimes hover before diving or dive directly from a perch into the water. They may also grab fish while swimming in the water.
In addition to fish, Brown Boobies eat mullets, shrimp, squid, and other sea creatures.
Young Brown Boobies rely on their parents to regurgitate food into their mouths.
The timing of the young’s first flight depends on how much food is available.