Image: Istvan Kadar Photography/Moment/Getty Images
About This Quiz
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck ... then it must be a water birds quiz!
When you think of birds, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Feathers? Wings? Beaks? Maybe you think of what birds are best known for doing - soaring through the wide-open sky! However, like a lot of other types of animals; like mammals and reptiles, birds share a lot of similarities with each other while still managing to be incredibly diverse at the same time. Some birds (like the ostrich, the emu, and the kiwi) spend their whole lives on the ground, never once getting to experience the freedom of soaring through the sky. On the other end of the spectrum, there are some birds (that both can and can't fly) that love the water. These birds would much rather dive and swim in lakes, rivers and oceans.
In this quiz, we're going to take a look at some of the most common and also some of the most unique water birds that are alive today. Be prepared to see some familiar ones that may live close to home and also some that live on the other side of the world! So get your goggles and flippers and let's dive right in to this quiz!
Emperor penguin
The emperor penguin is a water bird that can only be found in Antarctica, the southernmost and coldest continent in the world. Emperor penguins are notable for being the largest penguin species, in terms of both height and weight.
West Indian whistling duck
Little pied cormorant
Short-tailed albatross
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Egyptian goose
Galápagos penguin
Canada goose
The Canada goose is a water bird that is native to North America and parts of Europe. They have effectively adapted to be able to live in human-altered areas; however, they are also one of the most commonly hunted waterfowl in North America.
California gull
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Northern fulmar
Red-footed booby
Bufflehead
Mallard
The mallard is a water bird and species of duck that can be found in every continent in the world except Antarctica. However, it is worth noting that it was actually not native to South America but has since then been introduced to several countries there.
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American white pelican
African penguin
Caribbean flamingo
The Caribbean flamingo is a water bird that is also sometimes referred to as the American flamingo. As its name suggests, it can be found throughout the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America; it is notable for being the only flamingo that is native to North America.
Ring-billed gull
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Red-naped ibis
Brown booby
The brown booby is a water bird that can be found in tropical regions of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. They have notable breeding grounds in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico and their diet primarily consists of fish and squid.
Little penguin
Hamerkop
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Short-tailed albatross
Red-billed tropicbird
Australian pelican
Laysan albatross
The Laysan albatross is a water bird that is named for the Hawaiian island of Laysan, one of its primary breeding colonies. The oldest confirmed wild bird in the world is “Wisdom” (born around 1951 and tagged by scientists in 1956), a wild female Laysan albatross.
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California gull
Painted stork
The painted stork is a water bird that can be found in the Indian Subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. They feed primarily on small fish but have been known to eat frogs and snakes as well.
Great white pelican
Red-naped ibis
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Mandarin duck
The mandarin duck is a water bird that is native to East Asia but also closely related to wood duck of North America. They have been regarded in Chinese culture as a symbol of fidelity and conjugal affection.
Bufflehead
Mute swan
American white pelican
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Ring-billed gull
Masked booby
The masked booby is a water bird that can be found on islands in tropical oceans. They notably exhibit siblicide more often than not, where the first chick will kill its smaller, weaker sibling shortly after it hatches.
Great shearwater
Northern fulmar
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Australian pelican
Little penguin
Egyptian goose
Black-necked swan
The black-necked swan is a water bird that is found primarily in South America. It notably holds the distinction of being the largest waterfowl that is native to the continent.
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Emperor penguin
Pacific loon
The Pacific loon is a water bird that breeds on the cold tundra lakes of North America and eastern Siberia. They are migratory birds and can often be seen in the United States and Mexico, as well as also in parts of Japan, China and the Korean peninsula.
Trumpeter swan
West Indian whistling duck
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Greater flamingo
The greater flamingo is a water bird that is native to the Indian subcontinent, Africa, parts of southern Europe, and the Middle East. It is notable for being the largest species of flamingo.
Canada goose
Dalmatian pelican
Egyptian goose
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Chinese goose
Masked booby
Pacific gull
The Pacific gull is a water bird that is native to the coasts of Australia. They are relatively plentiful and hardy and as such, they are classified as having a “least concern” conservation status.
Great white pelican
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Caribbean flamingo
Black storm petrel
The black storm petrel is a water bird that has breeding grounds off of the Pacific coast of California and Mexico. Rats and feral cats have notably reduced their populations of some of their breeding islands.
Amazon kingfisher
Mute swan
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Brown booby
Red-footed booby
Magnificent frigatebird
The magnificent frigatebird is a water bird that can be found near the tropical and subtropical waters of the Americas. It is notable for being the largest species of frigatebird in the world.
Red-billed tropicbird
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Laysan albatross
Pacific loon
Chinese goose
Brown pelican
The brown pelican is a water bird that can be found in North America and the northern coasts of South America. It is the state bird of Louisiana and the national bird of several Caribbean islands; including Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Martin.
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Painted stork
Black storm petrel
Amazon kingfisher
The Amazon kingfisher is a water bird that is native to the American tropics. In addition to fish, they also feed on amphibians and insects.
African penguin
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Chinese goose
The Chinese goose is a water bird that lays an average of 50 – 60 eggs during each breeding season. It is actually one of the most notable breeds of domesticated goose in the world.
Painted stork
Pacific gull
Brown pelican
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Galápagos penguin
Greater flamingo
Mallard
Dalmatian pelican
The Dalmatian pelican is a water bird that can be found in parts of Europe, India, China and Russia. They are notable for being one of the largest freshwater birds in the world (some swans rival them in size) and the largest species of pelican.
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Trumpeter swan
The trumpeter swan is a water bird that can be found throughout North America. It holds the distinction of being the largest species of waterfowl and also the heaviest bird that is native to North America.
Black-necked swan
Magnificent frigatebird
Painted stork
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Laysan albatross
Short-tailed albatross
Trumpeter swan
Little pied cormorant
The little pied cormorant is a water bird that can be primarily found in Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and Indonesia. Most of its prey consists of animals that are found on the sea floor and as a result it is often seen diving in moderately shallow water.
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Painted stork
Galápagos penguin
The Galápagos penguin is a water bird that, as its name suggests, is native to the Galápagos Islands. It holds the distinction of being the only species of penguin that is found north of the equator.
California gull
Dalmatian pelican
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Mandarin duck
Bufflehead
Masked booby
Red-footed booby
The red-footed booby is a water bird that can be found throughout the tropics. It is known for its distinctive red feet (hence its name) and has a least concern conservation status.
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Mallard
African penguin
The African penguin is a water bird that is found exclusively in the waters at the southern tip of Africa. They are the only species of penguin that is found in the continent and they feed primarily on fish and squid.
Ring-billed gull
Amazon kingfisher
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Blue-footed booby
The blue-footed booby is a water bird that is native to regions of the eastern Pacific Ocean. Their blue feet are actually a sexually selected trait and males use them in a mating ritual with potential mates.
Bufflehead
Little penguin
Australian pelican
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Emperor penguin
Australian pelican
Red-billed tropicbird
The red-billed tropicbird is a water bird that can be found across all three of the major oceans in the world: Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian. While introduced rats and cats do oftentimes threaten their nests, overall they have a least concern conservation status.
Magnificent frigatebird
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Egyptian goose
Canada goose
Mute swan
The mute swan is a water bird that can be found throughout Eurasia and minor parts of North Africa – they have also notably been introduced to North America. Their name is a reference to the fact that they are notably less vocal compared to other swan species.
Black storm petrel
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Blue-footed booby
Great white pelican
The great white pelican is a water bird that is found predominantly in Africa, parts of Asia, and also southeastern Europe. It goes by several other names; including “rosy pelican” and “eastern white pelican”.
Northern fulmar
Pacific gull
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Great shearwater
The great shearwater is a water bird that has an extensive native range that encompasses coasts of the Americas and Africa that are washed by the Atlantic. They migratory flights sometimes carry them as far as Ireland and Great Britian.
Caribbean flamingo
Red-naped ibis
Greater flamingo
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Brown booby
American white pelican
West Indian whistling duck
The West Indian whistling duck is a water bird that can be found throughout the West Indies, with the most significant population being located in the Bahamas. They are known by several other names; including “Cuban whistling duck” and” black-billed whistling duck”.
Pacific loon
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Trumpeter swan
Egyptian goose
The Egyptian goose is a water bird that can be found throughout Europe. More specifically, it is primarily found south of the Nile Valley and the Sahara.
Mute swan
Black-necked swan
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Dalmatian pelican
Great shearwater
Mallard
Northern fulmar
The northern fulmar is a water bird that makes its home in subarctic regions of the North Pacific and North Atlantic. Its sister species is the southern fulmar, which is found on the coast of Antarctica and the surrounding area.
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Masked booby
West Indian whistling duck
American white pelican
The American white pelican is a water bird that can be seen living in North America and also parts of South America as well. It is one of the longest birds in North America, with the trumpeter swan rivaling it.
Mandarin duck
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Amazon kingfisher
Whooper swan
Tundra swan
Red-naped ibis
The red-naped ibis is a water bird that is primarily native to the Indian Subcontinent. While it is technically a water bird, it is notably not as dependent on water compared to similar birds, being found considerable distances away from water sources on several occasions.
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Brown pelican
Red-billed tropicbird
Australian pelican
The Australian pelican is a water bird that can be found in Australia and parts of Oceania. It is notable for having the longest bill of any bird that is currently alive today.
Laysan albatross
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Magnificent frigatebird
Chinese goose
Brown booby
Little penguin
The little penguin is a water bird that has been seen in regions of New Zealand, Australia and Chile. As its name would suggest, it is the smallest species of penguin in the world.
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Ring-billed gull
The ring-billed gull is a water bird that can be found throughout North America (USA, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, etc. ) The name of the species – delawarensis – is a direct reference to the Delaware River.
Black storm petrel
African penguin
Caribbean flamingo
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Pacific gull
Red-footed booby
Bufflehead
The bufflehead is a species of sea duck that can be found throughout a large portion of the North American mainland. Their English name is a reference to the shape of their head, combining the words “buffalo” and “head”.
Blue-footed booby
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California gull
The California gull is a water bird that is found primarily along the Pacific coasts of the United States, Mexico and Canada. While its name would suggest otherwise, the California Gull is actually the state bird of Utah.
Greater flamingo
Galápagos penguin
Canada goose
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Pacific loon
Little pied cormorant
Short-tailed albatross
The short-tailed albatross is a water bird that can be found throughout the North Pacific region. Throughout history it actually neared extinction but has since then been moved up to simply having “vulnerable” status.
Emperor penguin
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