What is your favorite Water Bird and why?

BigCatConniseur24

BigCatConniseur24

Well-Known Member
So yesterday, I went to the National Aviary in Pittsburgh and saw so many different species of water birds (flamingos, pelican, penguins, egrets, ducks, Ibises, Guam kingfishers spoonbills, terns, demoiselle cranes etcetera...I was so impressed. Anyways, this got me thinking, what is your favorite species of water bird and why? There’s quite a bit of diversity with water birds. My favorite are probably penguins (My favorite penguin are probably Southern Rockhopper Penguins and Macaroni Penguins) because of how strong they are as swimmers and how skilled they are at catching fish and crustaceans. I will also say this, yesterday’s visit gave me a newly found appreciation and admiration of Inca Terns. They are not only very handsome birds, but they were flying overhead all over the building (I had a few pass over my head). Very nice bird. I also have a huge soft spot for ducks, geese, and swans because when I was a kid, my grandfather took me out to the local duck pond/lake to see them. I have a natural soft spot for mallards and Canada geese having grown up around them all my life.

Anyways, what is your favorite species of water bird and why?
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Before we answer, do you have a slightly unusual definition of "water bird" we need to bear in mind limited to a certain number of approved taxa? :p
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Any of the following type of bird: Waterfowl, flamingos, ibises, pelicans, herons, egrets, storks, cranes, cormorants, penguins, gulls, terns, coots, gallinules, and moorhens, rails, plovers, kingfishers, plovers, petrels, puffins, auks, etc. Just basically any bird (excluding eagles and ospreys) that spends a significant amount of time in the water, whether it be swimming, wading, or diving.
 
TinoPup said:
"Water birds" is a pretty vague description. Do you mean wading birds, shorebirds, seabirds, and/or waterfowl?
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Any of the following type of bird: Waterfowl, flamingos, ibises, pelicans, herons, egrets, storks, cranes, cormorants, penguins, gulls, terns, coots, gallinules, and moorhens, rails, plovers, kingfishers, plovers, petrels, puffins, auks, etc. Just basically any bird (excluding eagles and ospreys) that spends a significant amount of time in the water, whether it be swimming, wading, or diving.
 
BigCatConniseur24 said:
Any of the following type of bird: Waterfowl, flamingos, ibises, pelicans, herons, egrets, storks, cranes, cormorants, penguins, gulls, terns, coots, gallinules, and moorhens, rails, plovers, kingfishers, plovers, petrels, puffins, auks, etc.
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So plovers count twice as much, you find four different ways to say "rails" and two different ways to say "herons" and "auks", but neither grebes nor loons count at all :p

BigCatConniseur24 said:
basically any bird (excluding eagles and ospreys) that spends a significant amount of time in the water, whether it be swimming, wading, or diving.
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Given those exclusions..... Vermiculated Fishing Owl :p
 
TeaLovingDave said:
So plovers count twice as much, you find four different ways to say "rails" and two different ways to say "herons" and "auks", but neither grebes nor loons count at all :p



Given those exclusions..... Vermiculated Fishing Owl :p
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I apologize for my mistakes. I didn’t realize I typed plover twice. I also forgot that egrets are herons, so all I had to put was heron. I completely missed loons and grebes, I honestly forgot about them, but thank you for reminding me of them. I guess I did go overboard with the rails and I should have just put auks instead of both auk and puffin. I’ll be more mindful of errors next time and write more carefully.

The Vermiculated Fishing Owls sounds like a very cool bird. I love raptors and I honestly haven’t really heard of owls preying on fish before. I have heard of eagles and ospreys doing so, but not owls. That’s a first for me. I’ll definitely have to research them. Thanks for mentioning them to me.
 
BigCatConniseur24 said:
The Vermiculated Fishing Owls sounds like a very cool bird. I love raptors and I honestly haven’t really heard of owls preying on fish before. I have heard of eagles and ospreys doing so, but not owls. That’s a first for me. I’ll definitely have to research them. Thanks for mentioning them to me.
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There's two seperate groups - each usually granted distinct genera status but now generally lumped into Bubo with the eagle owls - called the Fishing Owls (Scotopelia) and the Fish Owls (Ketupa) :)

This is Pel's Fishing Owl:

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And this is Buffy Fish Owl:

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TeaLovingDave said:
There's two seperate groups - each usually granted distinct genera status but now generally lumped into Bubo with the eagle owls - called the Fishing Owls (Scotopelia) and the Fish Owls (Ketupa) :)

This is Pel's Fishing Owl:

full


And this is Buffy Fish Owl:

full
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Very cool. Thanks for the information.
 
I’m going to give my top two, which are tied for #1. I have to go with Shoebill and Rhinoceros Auklet. Both fascinating species with very distinctive features. I’ve been lucky enough to see Shoebill at San Diego Safari Park, but yet to see any Rhinoceros Auklet. Definitely on the bucket list though! ;)
 
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