What Are the Most Common Diving Birds?

By Staff WriterLast Updated Mar 27, 2020 5:05:47 AM ET

Common birds that dive from the air include gulls, pelicans, gannets and terns. Birds that dive from the surface of the water include loons, grebes, cormorants and certain species of ducks. Penguins are also divers.

Birds primarily dive into or under the water to catch food. Surface diving birds usually eat underwater plants, fish or shellfish. Most of those species have legs further in the back to help propel them through the water. Birds that dive from the air usually eat fish. They protect their heads and necks by flexing them depending on the speed and angle of the dive.

More From Reference
Your Guide to Renewable Energy Resource Types
Your Guide to Renewable Energy Resource Types
Here’s How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed In-Person Retail Shopping in Lasting Ways
Here’s How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed In-Person Retail Shopping in Lasting Ways
A Brief History of Insults: How Different Cultures Use Spoken and Written Verse to Mock and Mediate
A Brief History of Insults: How Different Cultures Use Spoken and Written Verse to Mock and Mediate
Monkeydactyl and the Little Foot Fossil: Major Evolutionary Breakthroughs of 2021 (So Far)
Monkeydactyl and the Little Foot Fossil: Major Evolutionary Breakthroughs of 2021 (So Far)
Fact Check: How Accurate Are Farmers Almanac Weather Forecasts in Comparison to Weather Apps?
Fact Check: How Accurate Are Farmers Almanac Weather Forecasts in Comparison to Weather Apps?
What Annual Income Is Considered Poverty Level & How Was the Federal Poverty Level Established?
What Annual Income Is Considered Poverty Level & How Was the Federal Poverty Level Established?