Presumably they are talking about the frigatebird's gular pouch... and presumably "pop" with a single o
What is your favorite Water Bird and why?
- Thread starter BigCatConniseur24
- Start date
Presumably they are talking about the frigatebird's gular pouch... and presumably "pop" with a single o
So two species come to mind. The first is the Ruff. I see them regularly at Sylvan Heights Bird Park which is one of the only places in North America to have them. I just love to watch their unique breeding displays and plumage.
The other species is the bufflehead. I see them in the wild for much of winter and just love when they dive and guessing where they will pop up. They also are just such an adorable species.
The other species is the bufflehead. I see them in the wild for much of winter and just love when they dive and guessing where they will pop up. They also are just such an adorable species.
This is tough! I'm going to cheat and rattle off some local favorites I see while birding, and then try - and fail - to narrow down my tastes globally.
Locally: Black-crowned Night Heron, Cattle Egret, White-faced Ibis, Ruddy Duck, Northern Shoveler, Double-crested Cormorant, Brown Pelican
For non-locals: Cormorants, Penguins (especially African + Humboldt), some select ducks/geese.
Oh, and pretty much all of Pelecaniformes
Hammerkop/Shoebill, most herons and egrets, all six spoonbill species. What can I say, birds are great.
Locally: Black-crowned Night Heron, Cattle Egret, White-faced Ibis, Ruddy Duck, Northern Shoveler, Double-crested Cormorant, Brown Pelican
For non-locals: Cormorants, Penguins (especially African + Humboldt), some select ducks/geese.
Oh, and pretty much all of Pelecaniformes
Hammerkop/Shoebill, most herons and egrets, all six spoonbill species. What can I say, birds are great.
I’m kind of there too. 1/ Everything except penguinsThis is tough! I'm going to cheat and rattle off some local favorites I see while birding, and then try - and fail - to narrow down my tastes globally.
Locally: Black-crowned Night Heron, Cattle Egret, White-faced Ibis, Ruddy Duck, Northern Shoveler, Double-crested Cormorant, Brown Pelican
For non-locals: Cormorants, Penguins (especially African + Humboldt), some select ducks/geese.
Oh, and pretty much all of Pelecaniformes
2/ penguins
Your list is excellent and frankly might be the best, most succinct version. I'm super picky with my mammals despite loving my particular faves; with birds, it's just "does it have feathers?" and if so, 11/10.
I may or may not have bailed on half my sightseeing plans while in the UK years ago just to bird at WWT London, Slimbridge, and everywhere in-between...
Closely followed by steamer ducks and African spur-winged geese. Why?
Attack of the flying steamer ducks | ScienceBlogs
Death by toxic goose. Amazing waterfowl facts part II | ScienceBlogs
Attack of the flying steamer ducks | ScienceBlogs
Death by toxic goose. Amazing waterfowl facts part II | ScienceBlogs
The call of the Common Loon is easily my favorite bird sound I have heard in the wild. I also like the striking plumage of the breeding adult.
FlamingoS apparently. One flamingo might be an interesting bird due to its unusual colour or bill morphology. But the only functioning unit is always a colony/flock. It´s as important for them as is heeve for bees or family for female elephants.
A flock performing its ritual courthip dance or tending to their nests/eggs/chicks is something I can watch for hours. I also love to see them fly in formations. They are extremelly devolved and specialized design of mother nature.
A flock performing its ritual courthip dance or tending to their nests/eggs/chicks is something I can watch for hours. I also love to see them fly in formations. They are extremelly devolved and specialized design of mother nature.
Adjutant storks (and marabou). They are so unusual looking, almost like some kind of non-avian dinosaur. I have seen one when I was really young but I barely remember it, and I’d love to see one again.
My favorite waterbirds are flamingos. They are so majestic, yet so unusual birds, with their pink plumage, strange courtship displays, mud nests, and how they filter feed upside down. Overall, I think flamingos are epic, and were my favorite animal as a kid, and are still my third favorite today.
The Large-billed Tern. I like when terns have bulky bills that go against their otherwise delicate and graceful appearance; it gives these terns the look of being a living oxymoron. Of the few tern species that fit this description, the well-named Large-billed Tern is the best-looking to me. I like how the grey parts of its wings are quite dark grey for a tern, and this feature, in combination with its large bill, makes the Large-billed Tern look quite gull-like for a tern. Maybe this is a mild case of convergent evolution?
Sadly the Large-billed Tern has a near-zero chance of ever naturally reaching New Zealand, but it has at least proven to be able to occur as a vagrant within the Americas.
Also, should the seedsnipes, sheathbills, buttonquails, and Plains-wanderer be counted as water birds?
Sadly the Large-billed Tern has a near-zero chance of ever naturally reaching New Zealand, but it has at least proven to be able to occur as a vagrant within the Americas.
Also, should the seedsnipes, sheathbills, buttonquails, and Plains-wanderer be counted as water birds?
Aren't they literally endemic to South America?
Yes, but there are three records of Large-billed Terns in the United States.
Well you could've just said US instead of Americas which implies the entirety of both North and South.
Those were just the farthest records from the Large-billed Tern's usual range; it has occurred as a vagrant elsewhere in the Americas as well, including parts of South America where it doesn't usually occur.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
I find quite a lot of waterfowl and aquatic birds interesting though I have to admit I wasn't very interested in them much before.
These interest me now mainly due to the challenge of their conservation and the fact that these birds can have very strong potential to be flagship species of wetland ecosystems (which are very significant both in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem services).
I'm mainly interested in the threatened / endangered species like the Madagascar pochard, Malagasy teal, Laysan teal, nēnē , hooded grebe, Junin grebe, red breasted goose, shoebill and the scaly sided merganser (I'm intrigued how these have been brought back from the brink of extinction).
But I suppose the species that intrigues me most is the Brazilian merganser which I haven't yet managed to see but hope to one day in either the wild or captivity.
These interest me now mainly due to the challenge of their conservation and the fact that these birds can have very strong potential to be flagship species of wetland ecosystems (which are very significant both in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem services).
I'm mainly interested in the threatened / endangered species like the Madagascar pochard, Malagasy teal, Laysan teal, nēnē , hooded grebe, Junin grebe, red breasted goose, shoebill and the scaly sided merganser (I'm intrigued how these have been brought back from the brink of extinction).
But I suppose the species that intrigues me most is the Brazilian merganser which I haven't yet managed to see but hope to one day in either the wild or captivity.
Last edited:
Ok this is difficult but here are a few: rosybill pochard, American flamingo, Atlantic puffin, African penguin
Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
Flamingos and Pelicans are my favorite!