Birds by the Water

Let’s dive into the watery world of birds!

These birds live where water takes many forms—ponds, rivers, oceans, and more. Each place holds its own surprises. You may not expect just how many birds depend on waterside environments. Let’s explore bird life near the water with this quick overview! Scroll to the gallery at the end of the page to see these birds in action.

Fresh- and Saltwater Marshes, Ponds, and Lakes

Wetlands are teeming with life—plants, insects, and birds all tangled together in a rich, thriving habitat they call home.

  • Gallinules and jacanas with extra-long toes walk across lily pads.
  • Wading birds like herons, ibises, flamingos, and storks hunt in the shallows.
  • Rails easily slip through dense marsh vegetation with their thin, “laterally compressed” bodies—they’re literally skinny as a rail!
  • Water-loving wrens, warblers, and blackbirds nest in marsh grasses and feed their chicks.
  • Egrets nest in trees above flooded swamps.
  • Wood Ducks nest in tree cavities near fresh water.
  • Plovers, sandpipers and other shorebirds dart through beaches and mudflats, picking out invertebrates.
A long-legged bird steps across floating lily pads on water.
Image: Comb-crested Jacana by Jill Duncan & Ken Bissett | Macaulay Library

Shorebirds can be found in places you might not expect, including marshes! Learn to ID the Shorebirds you see with our online course.

Oceans

Seabirds have special adaptations for surviving and thriving in ocean environments, contending with wind, salt, and vast stretches of ocean water.

  • Penguins have layers of fat to keep them warm and use their flipper-like wings to dive deep in icy southern seas.
  • Terns and gulls nest in tightly packed colonies for protection from predators.
  • Gannets and tropicbirds plunge from the sky into the water to catch fish, folding their wings for streamlined impact.
  • Storm-petrels and shearwaters ride ocean wind currents and track prey by scent.
  • Frigatebirds and jaegers rely on speed and agility to steal food from other seabirds.
  • At beaches, Sanderlings find prey at the water’s edge as they chase the waves in and out.
A penguin with a yellow eyebrow stripe splashes through ocean waves.
Image: Fiordland Penguin by Glenda Rees | Macaulay Library

Rivers and Waterways

The rocky banks and moving water of freshwater habitats call for agility and clever foraging strategies.

  • Kingfishers can dive from perches to catch fish in shallow currents.
  • Ibisbills hunt in rocky riverbeds using their long, curved bills.
  • Dippers walk and feed underwater in cold, fast-flowing mountain streams.
  • Herons and egrets use long legs and sharp bills to stalk prey along the edges.
A bird holds prey in its long, heavy bill, perching on the end of a branch.
Image: Parthasarathi Chakrabarti | Macaulay Library

Gallery: Birds by the Water

See these birds in action in beautiful photos taken by birders the world over and shared with the Macaulay Library. You might catch a glimpse of a bird you haven’t met yet!


Gray Heron
Wading birds like herons, ibises, and flamingos hunt in the shallows.
Gray Heron by Jeremy Calvo / Macaulay Library

Comb-crested Jacana
Jacanas with extra-long toes walk across lily pads.
Comb-crested Jacana by Terence Alexander / Macaulay Library

African Rail
Rails slip through marshes, grabbing prey from the surface or probing mud for insects, crustaceans, and seeds.
African Rail by Thomas Holmberg / Macaulay Library

Common Reed Warbler
Water loving wrens, warblers, and blackbirds nest in marsh grasses and feed their chicks.
Common Reed Warbler by Josep del Hoyo / Macaulay Library

Wood Duck
Look up! In spring, Wood Ducks nest in tree cavities near fresh water.
Wood Duck by Ben Martin Mortimer / Macaulay Library

Black-legged Kittiwake
Black-legged Kittiwakes nesting in a tightly packed colony.
Black-legged Kittiwake by Tomas Grim / Macaulay Library

Southern Rockhopper Penguin
Penguins have layers of fat to keep them warm and use flipper-like wings to dive deep for fish in icy southern seas.
Southern Rockhopper Penguin by Andres Vasquez Noboa / Macaulay Library

Northern Gannet
Gannets fold their wings to gather speed as they plunge from the sky to water to dive for fish.
Northern Gannet by Daniel Lopez Velasco / Macaulay Library

Gray-backed Storm-Petrel
Storm-petrels and shearwaters ride ocean winds and follow fish, tracking their prey by scent.
Gray-backed Storm-Petrel by JJ Harrison / Macaulay Library

Magnificent Frigatebird
Pirates of the ocean, frigatebirds and jaegers rely on speed and agility to steal food from other seabirds.
Magnificent Frigatebird trying to steal a fish from a Masked Booby by Raymond Marsh / Macaulay Library

Ibisbill
Ibisbills hunt in rocky riverbeds using their long, curved bills.
Ibisbill by Abhishek Das / Macaulay Library

White-throated Dipper
Dippers walk and feed underwater in cold, fast-flowing mountain streams.
White-throated Dipper by Iker Fernandez Martinez / Macaulay Library

Belted Kingfisher
Kingfishers dive from perches to catch fish in shallow currents.
Belted Kingfisher by Brad Imhoff / Macaulay Library

Great Egret
Herons and egrets use long legs and sharp bills to stalk prey along the edges.
Great Egret by Ryan Sanderson / Macaulay Library

More to Learn: Foraging at the Water’s Edge

Now that we’ve explored where waterbirds live, it’s time to dive into how they feed. Enjoy more photos and a deeper dive into the exciting world of birds Foraging by the Water.

Birds by the Water with Bird Academy

Bird Academy’s self-paced online courses can help you learn to ID and connect to the birds you see in any environment. Here are a few great courses all about birds that make their living at the waterside.

Sanderling closeup
Be a Better Birder: Shorebird Identification The comprehensive course on shorebirds from expert Kevin McGowan. Covers all 47 species regularly found in the continental U.S. and Canada. Practice for the field with Snap ID.
$124.99