There are approximately 18,000 species of birds in the world. Birds are known to occupy all spaces including air, land and even water. There are some birds that unluckily cannot fly, some that are restricted to a life on land or mostly restricted to the air. But in this article, we’ll be focusing on birds that have the ability to swim underwater. These birds are also known as waterbirds or aquatic birds and may be found in freshwater environments like lakes, rivers, and streams but also in the ocean, or even both! They have special adaptations that allow for them to seamlessly glide through the water.
Let’s take a quick look at some pictures of 10 birds that swim underwater and learn a little about each one.
10 Birds that Swim underwater
In this article, we’ll cover ten different types of birds that swim underwater which include:
- Ducks
- Cormorants
- Loons
- Pelicans
- Penguins
- Puffins
- Coots
- Grebes
- Anhingas
- Auks & Auklets
- Dippers
1. Ducks
When you think of an aquatic bird, ducks are probably some of the first birds that come to mind. Two big categories for describing ducks are dabbling ducks and diving ducks. Dabbling ducks, like the common Mallard, tend to stick to shallow water environments. They don’t fully submerge themselves and swim underwater, rather they skim food from the waters surface or tip upside down to reach food underwater while their backside and tails remain above the water.
Diving ducks, on the other hand, are the true underwater swimmers. Diving ducks fully submerge their bodies and swim under water to catch fish, crustaceans, mollusks or reach food deeper down. Some examples of diving ducks are mergansers, buffleheads, goldeneyes, canvasbacks and eiders.
Where ducks can be found: Diving ducks can be found in both fresh and saltwater habitats all over the world, but tend to frequent deeper water bodies where there are plentiful small fish.
2. Cormorants
If you have ever driven or walked along the coast and have seen a large, black or dark bird perched on a rock with its wings spread out, you have probably seen a Cormorant! These swimming birds often perch after spending time in the water and hold their wings out to dry off.
Cormorants are incredible divers and move quickly through the water to feed on eels, fish, and sometimes even water snakes. They have a long, slim beak with a hook at the end, large webbed feet, and short tails. Cormorants nest in community groups on rocks or cliffs.
Where Cormorants can be found: The Cormorant family or the Phalacrocoracidae family is a large family with up to 40 different species of Cormorants. Cormorants, in general, are Coastal birds that are found all around the world, excluding the central Pacific Islands.