Waterbirds have adapted to an aquatic environment in a variety of ways. They are generally strong swimmers with waterproof feathers and webbed feet. Some, like the common loon, may dive deep into the water to hunt for fish, while others, like the mallard, dip their heads underwater to graze on plants beneath the surface. They are often as comfortable in the air as on water, and many species migrate long distances for breeding and nesting seasons. Lake Roosevelt provides aquatic habitat for many waterbirds who live in the area year-round, as well as those just stopping by as they migrate.
Shorebirds make use of aquatic environments in a different way, staying closer to the beaches, marshy mudflats, and pebbly shores. Shorebirds generally share certain body shapes, such as long legs for wading into shallow waters and long bills adapted to finding and eating invertebrate prey. Lake Roosevelt provides ample shoreline habitat for shorebirds to feed and nest.
Waterbirds
American coot
Macaulay Library, CLO, Christoph Moning
American Coot
Fulica americana
Dark gray or black birds with a bright-white bill and forehead; legs are yellow-green; small patch of red on the forehead visible at close range
Found in ponds, lakes, marshes, and reservoirs
Omnivorous diet primarily plant material and algae, as well as insects, tadpoles, fish, worms, snails, and crayfish
Requires long running takeoffs to get airborne from water
Male bufflehead
NPS Photo
Bufflehead
Bucephala albeola
Adult males have a white body, black back, and dark head with a large white patch wrapping around the back of the head. Females and first-year males are gray-brown overall with an oval, white cheek patch. In flight adult males have a large white patch on the upperwing
North America’s smallest diving duck
Found on ponds, lakes, impoundments, or bays along slow-moving rivers during winter or spring migration
Feeds on aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans, and mollusks by diving
Dives last on average 12 seconds long, rarely more than 25 seconds
Canada goose
Max McCarthy, Macaulay Library, CLO
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Easily identified by their clear honking call and v-shaped formation when flying
Long neck, black head with white markings under-chin markings; faded brown body
Depending on their upbringing, they can be migrating or resident (non-migrating); resident populations have gone up, particularly in urban areas
Prefer to nest and lay eggs in areas with water, such as marshes or shoreline
Adult geese remain a mating pair for the rest of their lives; if one dies, the remaining goose will find a new mate
Canada Geese
Sound recording of Canada geese, National Park Service
Summer adults are regally patterned in black and white; in winter, they are plain gray above and white below
Found on large lakes and reservoirs that remain ice-free during the winter with enough surface area for their flapping-and-running takeoffs across the water
Diet consists mainly of small fish, and occasionally crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic insects, leeches, and frogs
Stealthy divers, submerging without a splash to catch prey
Common Loon
Common loons make a series of tremelo calls on Yellowstone Lake
Adult males have white bodies and dark, iridescent-green heads with a black back and red bill during breeding season; male nonbreeding plumage looks similar to female plumage. Females are gray-bodied with a white chest and rusty-cinnamon heads.
Lives mainly on freshwater rivers and lakes
Nests in natural tree cavities or holes carved out by woodpeckers
Eats primarily fish, as well as aquatic invertebrates
Eared grebe
NPS Photo
Eared Grebe
Podiceps nigricollis
Breeding birds mostly black with chestnut flanks and golden plumes fanning out from behind a bright red eye. Nonbreeding birds are grayish black overall with gray cheeks, whitish necks, and the dark crown extends down past their red eye
Breeds in shallow lakes and ponds. During migration and in winter, prefers saltwater
Feeds on aquatic invertebrates, especially brine shrimp and brine flies along with the occasional small fish, mollusk, or amphibiana
Captures prey by diving underwater, pecking at the surface, or dipping their head just under the surface of the water
Male Green-winged teals
USFWS/Tom Koerner
Green-winged Teal
Anas crecca
Adult males have grayish bodies with a narrow white vertical stripe extending from the waterline to the shoulder; heads are cinnamon-color with a wide green swoop from the eye to the back of the neck. Females are brown with a yellow streak along the tail. Both sexes have green wing patches, which may be hidden when not in flight
Found in shallow freshwater lakes and marshes. Nesting sites include grasslands or sedge meadows that provide brush for cover
Feeds on aquatic invertebrates and seeds
Tips head underwater to feed, and occasionally dives for food or to avoid predators
Male mallard
NPS Photo
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Male mallards have a dark, iridescent-green head and bright yellow bill, gray body, brown breast, and black rear. Females and juveniles are mottled brown with orange-and-brown bills. Both sexes have a white-bordered, blue patch in the wing
Can be found in almost any wetland habitats, including lakes, reservoirs, ponds, marshes, bogs, city parks, and estuaries
Generalist foragers, will eat a wide variety of food including seeds, stems, roots, sedges, grasses, pondweeds, insects, crustaceans, mollusks, tadpoles, frogs, earthworms, and small fish
Feeds in the water by dipping forward with their head underwater to graze on underwater plants
Shorebirds
American dipper
NPS/Jacob W. Frank
American Dipper
Cinclus mexicanus
Adults are dark gray all over, slightly more brownish around the head, with pink legs and black bill
Found along fast-flowing mountain streams, using boulders and large woody debris for perches
Feeds on aquatic insects and insect larvae such as caddisflies, mayflies, stoneflies, midges, and mosquitoes
Unique foraging style consists of diving beneath water and walking along the streambed, often with wings outstretched to give traction against the current
Great blue heron
NPS/Volunteer Rusty Wilson
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Appears blue-gray from a distance, with a wide black stripe over the eye. In flight, the upper side of the wing is two-toned: pale on the forewing and darker on the flight feathers
Both sexes average 38.2-53.9 inches in length, 74.1-88.2 oz in weight, with a wingspan of 65.8-79.1 inches
Found in marshes, swamps, shores, tideflats. Forages in any kind of calm fresh waters, slow-moving rivers, and shallow coastal bays; nests in trees or shrubs near water
Varied diet includes fish, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, insects, and other birds
Uses dagger-like bills to impale larger fish
Greater yellowlegs
NPS Buck Mangipane
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
Tall shorebird with bright yellow legs; during breeding season, they have dense, dark bands on the breast and neck; other times of the year, they have black and white speckling on the back, with a finely streaked neck and head
Found in a variety of wetland habitats
Eats primarily aquatic invertebrates, and occasionally small frogs and fish
Walks with a distinctive high-stepping gait across wetlands when foraging
Killdeer
Macaulay Library, CLO, Davey Walters
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Named for the shrill, wailing “kill-deer” call they give
Round head, large eyes, and long legs; brownish tan on top and white below; white chest is barred with two black bands, and brown face is marked with black and white patches
Lives near freshwater ponds and muddy lagoons; can also be found on land in open grassland habitats, sandbars, and mudflats
Feeds primarily on invertebrates, such as earthworms, snails, crayfish, grasshoppers, beetles, and aquatic insect larvae
Killdeer
A killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) chorus near Anemone Geyser on Geyser Hill in the Upper Geyser Basin. Stereo recording.
Slate gray with a rusty coloring on the upperparts; pale cheeks, red skin on the crown, and black legs
Breeds in open wetland habitats surrounded by shrubs or trees; Nests in marshes, bogs, wet meadows, prairies, burned-over aspen stands, and other moist habitats, preferring those with standing water
Seen in the park during sandhill crane migration
Omnivorous diet heavy in seeds and grains, as well as berries, tubers, small vertebrates, and invertebrates; feeds on land or in shallow marshes, probing the surface with its bill
Mates for life; chooses their partners based on dancing displays
Sandhill Cranes
Sandhill cranes call out as they fly overhead. Sandhill cranes are most often found in the park during the summer.
Bold dark spots on a white breast, dark brown back, and orange bill during breeding season; in winter, plain white with grayish brown back and pale yellow bill; in flight, a thin white stripe along the wing is visible
Common near most kinds of freshwater, particularly pebbly lake shores, ponds, stream sides
Feeds on wide variety of insects, crustaceans, other invertebrates
Females establish and defend territory while males incubate eggs and raise the young
Spotted Sandpiper (call)
Spotted Sandpiper call recorded in Endovalley in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Intricately patterned in buff and brown stripes and bars; dark back has three long buff streaks; lighter chest is streaked and spotted with brown; in flight, the wings are dark above and below
Found in wet, marshy habitats, including bogs, fens, alder and willow swamps, wet meadows, and along rivers and ponds
Feeds mainly on insect larvae, including crane flies, horseflies and deer flies, beetles, dragonflies, crickets, grasshoppers, ants, mayflies, butterflies, caddis flies and moths
Finds food by burying their long bills deep into soft, wet soil to probe for prey; The bill’s flexible tip can open to grasp food while the base of the bill stays closed
Last updated: March 24, 2023
Park footer
Contact Info
Mailing Address:
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
1008 Crest Drive
Coulee Dam,
WA
99116
Phone:
509-754-7800
Please leave a detailed message if no one answers your call. Our rangers are often out talking to visitors.
