Ducks
Ducks are aquatic birds found on all continents except Antarctica, primarily near water bodies. They have webbed feet, similar to geese, making them good swimmers. They also feed on land, eating seeds and plants, and occasionally consuming insects, snails, and fish.
Geese
Geese have palmate webbed feet, connecting three out of four digits, similar to ducks. They are aquatic during molting, replacing old feathers with new ones, and swim away from shore to avoid predators.
Swans
Swans are large waterfowl with larger feet, often found on land. They feed on water weeds and use their feet as paddles to navigate lakes and rivers, unlike ducks and geese. They are not diving birds.
Gulls
Seagulls, with long legs and webbed feet, are often found near salt water bodies and human fisheries. They can be seen floating on water, observing fish below, and can dive hundreds of feet.
Avocets
American avocets are natural swimmers with fully webbed feet, primarily feeding on aquatic insects and small animals in saline wetlands. They have long legs for mobility and submerge their heads and neck when swimming to catch fish or other animals.
Flamingos
Flamingos have fully webbed feet, but they use them least. They're mostly found in shallows, often flying to escape predators. They forage in shallows, but their webbed feet are used to stir up food in streams, despite not swimming.
Loons
Loons, duck-like in appearance, are excellent swimmers with fully-webbed feet. They are clumsy on the ground and spend their lives on water, causing difficulty in escaping predators due to their heavy size.
Penguins
Penguins are highly adapted for aquatic life, with fully webbed feet and wings. They were flightless until their wings shortened, making diving difficult. Modern penguins use their feet for tobogganing, allowing them to propel and steer while sliding on their bellies.
Terns
Terns are aquatic birds with webbed feet, but rarely swim. They are known for floating and diving for fish, bathing, hunting, or avoiding predators. Despite their short legs, terns are good runners.
Pelicans
Pelicans have all four digits webbed, unlike palmate birds with only three connected with webbing. Their fourth digit is turned to the side, known as totipalmate webbing. Pelicans are skilled swimmers with short legs and large feet.
Cormorants
Cormorants use totipalmate foot webbing for diving, propelling themselves under water with webbed feet or wings, some capable of reaching the sea bed.
Herons
Herons have semipalmated foot webbing and are not aquatic birds, occupying shallow water bodies for hunting small aquatic prey. They stand motionlessly in shallows, waiting for prey to pass by. Other semipalmated bird species have four toes.
Grebes
Grebes have unique foot webbing, including lobate webbing on three front toes. This webbing expands when swimming, creating a paddle resembling fully-webbed birds. Grebes are clumsy on land and share similarities with webbed birds.
Finfoots
Finfoots, secretive birds with lobate webbing, are quick on land and great swimmers, often found in swamps, rivers, streams, and lakes, feeding on fish, amphibians, mollusks, and insects.