Examples of birds that eat fish include African Fish-Eagle, American Dipper, Anhinga, Atlantic Puffin, and Bald Eagle.
Birds that eat fish can be found all over the world. Some birds, like crows and herons, are known for their fishing techniques. Others, like gulls and terns, scavenge for leftovers from fishermen.
Some of these birds, like the osprey, are very well known for fishing.
There are a number of reasons why birds might choose to eat fish. In some cases, it may simply be due to the availability of fish in that particular location. In other cases, there may be specific benefits to eating fish compared to other animals.
Examples of Birds that Eat Fish
1. African Fish-Eagle
| Scientific Name | Haliaeetus vocifer |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Sub-Saharan Africa |
The African fish-eagle is one of the most well-known birds that eat fish. This large raptor is found throughout much of Sub-Saharan Africa and has a wide range of feeding behaviors, depending on the location and season.
One of the most interesting aspects of the African fish eagle’s relationship with fish is that it will often steal prey from other animals, including other birds, crocodiles, and even humans.
2. American Dipper
| Scientific Name | Cinclus mexicanus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | North America and Central America |
One of the lesser-known birds that eat fish is the American dipper. This medium-sized bird has a wide range and can be found throughout North America. It typically chooses to live near water, as this allows it to forage for food in freshwater streams and rivers.
3. Anhinga
| Scientific Name | Anhinga anhinga |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | South Carolina westward to Texas |
The anhinga is a water bird found throughout the Americas. This bird feeds almost entirely on freshwater fish, using its long and sharp beak to spear them from the surface of the water. As it hunts, this bird prefers to stay low over the water, keeping most of its body under the surface and only exposing its head when it dives for fish.
4. Atlantic Puffin
| Scientific Name | Fratercula arctica |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | North Atlantic Ocean |
The Atlantic Puffin is a species of seabird that is found along the coasts of North America and Europe. These birds are known for their distinctive appearance, which includes their brightly colored beaks and webbed feet. Atlantic Puffins primarily eat small fish, such as herring and sand eels.
5. Bald Eagle
| Scientific Name | Haliaeetus leucocephalus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | North America |
The bald eagle is a common sight in the United States and Canada. The birds are known for their impressive fishing techniques, which can include carrying fish back to their nest or diving into the water to catch them directly.
Bald eagles have sharp talons that they use to capture fish with ease. They also have large, powerful beaks that provide them with the necessary leverage to eat their prey.
6. Belted Kingfisher
| Scientific Name | Megaceryle alcyon |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Mexico and Central America |
These birds are found in most of the United States and can be seen diving into the water to catch fish. They are also known for eating insects, frogs, and even lizards.
7. Black Guillemot
| Scientific Name | Cepphus grylle |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | North America |
The black guillemot is a bird that can be found in both coastal and inland areas of the United States, Canada, and Europe. They are able to dive into deep water up to depths of 50 meters to catch fish. This allows them to eat prey that is often too large or difficult for other birds to capture.
8. Black Skimmer
| Scientific Name | Rynchops niger |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | coastal areas in Florida |
This bird has a very distinctive appearance, with a black top and white underside. It is found in coastal areas of North and South America. The Black Skimmer uses its long, thin lower beak to skim the surface of the water for small fish.
9. Black Vulture
| Scientific Name | Coragyps atratus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | northeastern United States |
The black vulture is one of the most widely distributed birds in the world, found throughout a variety of habitats ranging from forests and grasslands to coastal areas. Like many other birds, the black vulture has adapted specialized hunting techniques for catching fish.
10. Black-Faced Spoonbill
| Scientific Name | Platalea minor |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam |
One particularly interesting bird that eats fish is the black-faced spoonbill. This unique wading bird is found in Southeast Asia, where it uses its long, spatulate bill to capture small fish and crustaceans from the water’s surface.
Unlike many other birds that eat fish, the black-faced spoonbill has unusually long legs, which allow it to wade deep into the water. This gives it a distinct advantage over other species that must remain near the surface in order to successfully hunt for their prey.
11. Canvasback
| Scientific Name | Aythya valisineria |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | North America |
The canvasback is a large duck that is found in North America. It feeds primarily on aquatic plants, but it will also eat fish if they are available.
Read Also: How Much Does a Duck Cost?
12. Common Murre
| Scientific Name | Uria aalge |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Alaska to California |
The Common Murre is a seabird that can be found along the coastlines of North America and Europe. These birds eat small fish, such as herring and anchovies.
13. Common Tern
| Scientific Name | Sterna hirundo |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | coastal Florida |
The common tern is a type of bird that is well known for its fishing abilities. These birds can be found all over the world, from coastal areas to lakes and rivers. They are particularly adept at catching small fish using their long, pointed bills.
14. Double-Crested Cormorant
| Scientific Name | Phalacrocorax auritus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Atlantic Ocean |
The Double-Crested Cormorant is a fish-eating bird that can be found throughout much of the world. These birds are known for their long, slender necks and webbed feet, which help them to dive under the water in search of prey.
15. Emperor Penguin
| Scientific Name | Aptenodytes forsteri |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Antarctica |
These birds are found in the Antarctic and eat a diet that is almost entirely fish. In fact, they spend so much time hunting for fish that they only come ashore to mate and raise their young.
16. Gray Heron
| Scientific Name | Ardea cinerea |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Europe and Asia |
The gray heron is one of the most well-known birds that eat fish. This large, graceful bird is found all over the world, from Africa to Asia and Europe to North America. Although it has many hunting strategies, including stalking its prey on land or snatching them out of the water, herons are particularly skilled at using their long, spear-like bills to catch fish.
Related Article: Do Gray Heron Have Long Legs?
17. Great Cormorant
| Scientific Name | Phalacrocorax carbo |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | North America |
One of the most proficient fishing birds, the great cormorant is found on every continent except Antarctica. These birds have long necks and large webbed feet that help them dive deep into the water in search of fish. Once they catch their prey, they bring it to the surface and swallow it whole.
18. Great Kiskadee
| Scientific Name | Pitangus sulphuratus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | southern Texas |
Great kiskadees are found in the Neotropics, from southern Arizona and Texas south through Central America to northern Argentina. They primarily eat insects, but will also eat small vertebrates, fruits, and seeds.
19. Horned Grebe
| Scientific Name | Podiceps auritus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | North America |
There are many different species of birds that eat fish, including the Horned Grebe. This bird is native to North America, and it can be found in a number of freshwater habitats and even along the coastline. The Horned Grebe mainly eats smaller fish, such as minnows and sticklebacks.
20. Laughing Gull
| Scientific Name | Leucophaeus atricilla |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Florida and at Salton Sea, California |
The laughing gull is a seagull that can be found all along the coast of North America. It gets its name from its characteristic call, which sounds like laughter. These birds are known for their scavenging habits, and they will often steal food from other birds or humans. They will also eat just about anything, including fish, insects, and garbage.
Read Also: 28 Birds that Look Like Seagulls
21. Northern Gannet
| Scientific Name | Morus bassanus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | North America |
The northern gannet is a large seabird that can be found in the North Atlantic Ocean. These birds have a wingspan of up to 2.3 meters and they can weigh up to 4 kilograms. The northern gannet is mostly white with black wingtips. These birds dive into the water to catch fish. They can dive from heights of up to 100 feet and can plunge at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour.
22. Osprey
| Scientific Name | Pandion haliaetus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Alaska to Nova Scotia |
Ospreys are large birds that are often found near bodies of water. Many types of fish can be found in the osprey’s diet, including salmon and trout. These birds typically feed by swooping down on the surface of the water and grabbing a fish with their talons.
23. Pied Kingfisher
| Scientific Name | Ceryle rudis |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | sub-Saharan Africa |
One species of bird that is particularly well-known for its fishing habits is the pied kingfisher. This beautiful bird can be found all over the world, from Africa to Asia to Australia. It has long, sharp beaks that are perfectly suited for catching and eating fish.
24. Pied-Billed Grebe
| Scientific Name | Podilymbus podiceps |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | North America |
The pied-billed grebe is a small waterbird that can be found in North and South America. It is an excellent fisher, and will often dive below the water surface to catch fish. The pied-billed grebe has a number of adaptations that help it to be a successful fisher.
25. Pigeon Guillemot
| Scientific Name | Cepphus columba |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | North Pacific coastal waters |
These birds are known to eat a variety of fish, including herring, anchovies, and sardines. They are found in coastal regions all over the world.
26. Red-Throated Loon
| Scientific Name | Gavia stellata |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Arctic regions |
The red-throated loon is a type of bird that is commonly found in the Arctic. These birds eat fish as their primary source of food. They use their long, pointy beaks to spear the fish and then swallow them whole.
27. Ruddy Turnstone
| Scientific Name | Arenaria interpres |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | arctic tundra |
The ruddy turnstone is a small, shorebird that can be found on the coasts of North America, Asia, and Europe. This bird feeds by flipping over rocks on the beach and searching through the mud underneath for small fish. They have specially adapted beaks that allow them to easily find their prey in this way.
28. Snowy Egret
| Scientific Name | Egretta thula |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | the United States |
The snowy egret is a beautiful bird native to the Americas. It can be found in marshlands, ponds, and other wetlands, where it uses its long bill to catch fish for food. The snowy egret typically eats small fish that are about one inch long or smaller.
29. Stellar’s Sea Eagle
| Scientific Name | Haliaeetus pelagicus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Russia |
This is a fish-eating bird that can be found in parts of the Arctic Sea. It has very strong talons and large wings, which give it the ability to fly great distances quickly. Its diet consists mostly of salmon, though it will also eat other types of fish as well as marine mammals like seals and walruses.
30. Tufted Puffin
| Scientific Name | Fratercula cirrhata |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | northern Pacific Coast |
The tufted puffin is a bird found in coastal regions around the world. This unique bird has specialized adaptations that allow it to successfully catch and eat fish. The tufted puffin uses its large, hooked beak to grab prey out of the water, and its powerful wings to dive underneath the surface.
31. Turkey Vulture
| Scientific Name | Cathartes aura |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | southern Canada |
The turkey vulture is a scavenger that will eat just about anything, including fish.
32. Wandering Albatross
| Scientific Name | Diomedea exulans |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Southern Ocean |
These birds have the largest wingspan of any living bird, and they use that to their advantage when it comes to fishing. They can glide for long periods of time without flapping their wings, which means they can cover a lot of ground in search of fish.
33. Western Reef-Heron
| Scientific Name | Egretta gularis |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | western Africa, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf |
The Western Reef-Heron is a type of heron that lives in coastal areas throughout the world. These birds are known for their fishing abilities, and they often hunt in groups.
Conclusion
Birds that eat fish can be found all over the world. These birds have evolved unique ways of catching their prey, from diving into the water to scoop up fish with their long beaks to spearing them from the surface. Some birds, such as the cormorant, are even waterproof after they dive for fish. All of these birds rely heavily on fish as part of their diet, and without them, they would not be able to survive.
Hi, I’m Garreth. Living in South Africa I’ve had the pleasure of seeing most of these animals up close and personal. When I was younger I always wanted to be a game ranger but unfortunately, life happens and now at least I get to write about them and tell you my experiences.