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Birds | Fish
Open Water Birds
Birds in the aerial fish foragers guild are commonly found in the open water habitat, but some waterfowl , such as bay ducks, also use this habitat type.
Phoebe
Aerial Fish Foragers
Species in the aerial fish forager guild catch fish by flying low over the water to locate their food and then diving into the water to capture it. The aerial fish foragers at Batiquitos Lagoon are a diverse group of species, including pelicans, terns, and kingfishers, which have very different physical characteristics.
- Pelicans are large birds with webbed feet and long bills with a large gullet (throat pouch) that they use to catch fish. Two pelican species can be seen at the lagoon: the American white pelican and the brown pelican. American white pelicans typically feed in freshwater and estuaries by swimming and scooping up fish in their bills. Brown pelicans feed in the ocean and lagoon by diving and catching fish in their bills.
- Terns have long narrow wings, pointed bills, and forked tails, features that make them aerodynamic and agile. Depending on the species, terns feed in open water, intertidal, and freshwater habitats. Two terns and one tern-like species you might see at Batiquitos Lagoon are the California least tern, Forster's tern, and black skimmer.
- The California least tern is on both the state and federal endangered species lists. As part of the restoration of Batiquitos Lagoon, five nesting sites were constructed, and a predator control program was implemented to help the California least tern reestablish at the lagoon. In response, the number of California least tern nesting pairs and chicks fledged has dramatically increased at the lagoon. These terns nest in both the eastern and western basins. As the name implies, the least tern is the smallest tern found at the lagoon.
- Forster's terns nest in the western portion of the central basin. As many as 169 adult Forster's terns and 35 chicks were observed at the lagoon during July 1997 bird surveys.
- The black skimmer is one of the few birds with a lower mandible that is longer than its upper mandible and is the only bird to close its pupil in a vertical slit (like a cat). Before the mouth of the Batiquitos Lagoon was reopened to the ocean in 1997, the only known breeding colony of black skimmers in San Diego County was located in south San Diego Bay. Now, black skimmers are successfully breeding and fledging in Batiquitos Lagoon. Look for these unusual birds flying low, with their lower mandible cutting the water's surface.
- Kingfishers have a large head, short tail, and stout, pointed bill. Kingfishers typically sit motionless on a perch, then dive into the water for food. Look for these birds sitting on high perches near the water's edge.
Mallards
Waterfowl
The waterfowl guild is a diverse group of aquatic birds that frequent the shores of coastal or inland waters and include ducks, swans, and geese. Waterfowl have webbed feet, long necks, short legs, and flattened bills with tooth-like edges. Waterfowl species feed by dabbling in shallow water with their strainer-like bills, or by diving for plants, fish, and mollusks. Because they spend so much time in the water, waterfowl are well insulated with downy feathers and fat. Most waterfowl species are migratory, and many travel great distances between their nesting and wintering grounds. Species in the waterfowl guilds at Batiquitos Lagoon vary throughout the year but include three categories of waterfowl.
- Surface-feeding ducks (ducks that search for food by tipping "bottoms up" in shallow water), such as the mallard and northern pintail, swim along the surface, straining water through the tooth-like edges of their bills in search of food. In shallow water, they also reach down for food on the lagoon bottom.
- Bay ducks (ducks that search for food by diving from the surface), such as the redhead, feed on plants, crustaceans, and invertebrates from the lagoon bottom.
- Stiff-tailed ducks (small ducks that search for food by diving or sinking), such as the ruddy duck, are small stubby ducks with upright tails. The male ruddy duck has cinnamon-color plumage and a blue bill.
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