Photography by Joe Rossi
Minnesota’s
Wild
An g le rs
Meet seven Minnesota critters that dive after, scoop up, stalk, ambush, and
chase fish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COMMON LOON, GREAT BLUE HERON, BALD EAGLE, RIVER OTTER
Have
By Michael A. Kallok
you ever watched a loon dive into a lake or a heron
walkinginshallowwateralongshore?Perhapsyou’vegazed
upatanospreysoaringoverthewater.Alongariver,you
mighthavecaughtaglimpseofariverotter.
Whatweretheseanimalsdoing?Theywereprobablyfishing.
Likepeoplewhofish,thesewildanglersknowMinnesota’slakes
andriversaregoodplacestofish.Theyareallreallygoodatfindingandcatchingfish.
Whenyougofishing,youuseafishingpoleorarodand
reel. Minnesota’s wild anglers rely on their natural abilities
and adapted traits such as sharp talons and bills to catch a
meal.Somecanswimfast,usingwebbedfeet.Somecansoar
throughtheairanddivewithincrediblespeed.Somepreferto
fishalone,andothersworkwellasateam.
Wherever fish live, chances are good that Minnesota’s
wildanglersarenearby.
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LEFT: COMMON LOON. RIGHT: AMERICAN PELICAN
Surface
Divers
Loons and pelicans are known as surface
divers. When they
see or feel fish as
they swim upon the water’s surface, they
dive after or scoop up the fish.
Common Loon (Gavia immer)
Minnesota’s state bird, the common
loon, leaves its winter home along the
Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico and
fliestoMinnesotainspringafterlakeice
melts.Whenamaleloonarrivesathis
summerlake,hebeginsfishing.Hedives
deep and swims fast to catch bluegills,
perch,andothersmallfish.Onedaythe
maleloon’smatejoinshim.Inthenorth-
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ernlakewherethepairnests,theadult
loonsspendmostoftheirtimelooking
forsmallfishinshallowwater.
Hunt and Chase. Tohuntforperch,
a favorite meal, the loon swims along
with its eyes just below the surface.
Whenitspotsaschooloffish,theloon
divesandchasesthefish.
Theloon’sgiantwebbedfeetareway
backonitsbody—likeanoutboardmotoronthebackofaboat.Theloonkicks
bothofitsbigfeetatthesametimeto
propelitsstreamlinedbodybeneaththe
water.Toturnquickly,itusesitstaillike
arudderandsticksonefootouttothe
sidewhilekickingwiththeother.
Thoughloonshavebeenobservedflying
asfastas90milesperhour,nooneisquite
surehowfastalooncanswim.Buttocatch
afish,aloonmustswimfasterthanOlympicchampionswimmerMichaelPhelps.
as200feet.InMinnesota,smallperchand
sunfisharemostabundantinshallowwater.Loonsusuallystayunderwaterforless
than a minute, but they can hold their
breathforaslongas10minutes.
Catch and Eat.Whenaloongetsclose
toafish,itthrustsitsheadforwardand
grabsthefishinitsbill.Tiny,hookedteeth,
calleddenticals,ontheloon’stongueand
roofofthemouthhooktheslipperyfish.
The loon swallows the whole fish, head
first—usuallywhilestillunderwater.Each
Float and Dive. Likeasubmarine,a dayanadultlooneatsabout2poundsof
loonadjustsitsbuoyancy,orabilitytofloat, fish—that’sabout50smallperch.
bytakinginorreleasingair.Whenaloon
breathesin,airgoesthroughitslungsand Feed the Chicks. The parent loon
into stretchy membranes called air sacs. grabs small fish, aquatic insects, or amWhentheairsacsarefull,theloonswims phibianssuchasfrogsanddeliversthem
highinthewater.Whenreadytodivefora initsscissorlikebilltofeeditsyoungatthe
surface.A1-day-oldloonchickcanswim.
meal,theloonquicklyexhalestheair.
Mostbirdshavehollowbones.Aloon’s Youngloonsrelyontheirparentsforfood
bonesarehollow,too,butthickerandwith forabouttwomonths,buttwodaysafter
lessairinside.Thishelpsloonsdivequickly hatching,loonchicksbeginpeeringinto
becausetheyareheavierandlessbuoyant. thewaterandchasingminnows.
Loonscandivedeep.Inwinteringareasin
theGulfofMexico,theycandiveasdeep A loon prepares to deliver a minnow to its chicks.
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LEFT: GREAT BLUE HERON. RIGHT: GREAT EGRET
Wading
Birds
Herons and egrets do their fishing
in shallow water by
wading
silently on their tall, skinny legs.
Great Blue Heron
(Ardea herodias)
Standingastallas4½feet,thegreatblue
heronisthelargestheronspeciesinNorth
America.Lookforitalongtheshoresof
lakesandslow-movingrivers.Onceina
while, you might see one in grasslands
huntingforgrasshoppersormice.
Eat the Catch. When a great blue
heron spots a fish, it rapidly thrusts
itslong,pointybillintothewaterto
seizeitsprize.Notapickyeater,the
heronwilleatanyfishnotmuchlongerthan12inches.Ifitcatchesaspiny
fish,suchasaperchorbullhead,the
heronwillsometimesshakeorspear
thefishwithitsbilltoforcethefishto
Quiet While Fishing.Stealthisthe relaxitsspinessotheheroncanmore
greatblueheron’sadvantageforcatch- easilyswallowit.
ingfish.Withitslong,skinnylegs,it
cansilentlystalkthroughtheshallows Dinner Bill.Foraboutamonthafter
or stand perfectly still, waiting for a hatching,greatblueheronchicksstayin
fish to swim by. Sometimes a heron thenestandeatregurgitatedfishfrom
willfishfromadockoralogdrifting a parent’s bill. By 3 months old, they
likeaboatonthewater.Becausethe leavethenest.Atfirsttheyareclumsy
heron’seyesarewell-adaptedforsee- at flying and not very good at fishing,
inginthedark,itcanfishatnightas sotheirparentsmustcareforthemfora
fewmoreweeks.
wellasduringtheday.
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Great Egret (Ardea alba)
EgretsbeginarrivinginMinnesotainApril
andnestinthesoutherntwo-thirdsofthe
statenearlakesandsmallrivers.Theynest
intreesincolonies,calledrookeries,with
twoneststoseveralhundrednests.
Capturing Meals. Like the great blue
heron,thegreategrethuntsforsmallfish
by walking slowly or standing very still
and waiting. Sometimes it stirs up the
bottom with its feet to uncover aquatic
insectsorcrustaceanstoeat.Ortheegret
might fly low over water, fluttering its
wingstoherdfishintoanareawherethey
canbeeasilycaught.Sometimesoneegret
willstealamealfromanotheregret.
Learning to Fish. An egret parent
feedschicksregurgitatedfishfromitsbill.
Youngegretsbegintofishforthemselves
around 2 months of age. Juvenile great
egrets don’t walk and hunt as carefully
asadultgreategretsdo.Andtheydonot
catchfishasoftenasadults.Butasthey
growup,theylearntowalkmorecarefully
andgetbetteratfishingforaliving.
A great blue heron spears a hefty
bullhead, which was swimming in
shallow water near shore.
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)
Weighing an average of ½ pound, the green heron is much
smaller than the great blue heron, but this wading bird is a
fishing superstar. The green heron stalks fish in the shallows and
dives from the air to grab fish with its bill. This wild angler also
does something truly remarkable: It uses bait. The green heron,
one of only a few tool-using birds in the world, tosses bugs,
twigs, bread crumbs, litter, or other small items on the water
to lure a fish near the surface, where the bird can easily grab it.
May–June2011
GREEN HERON BY BILL MARCHEL
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LEFT: BALD EAGLE. RIGHT: OSPREY
Aerial
Divers
Eagles and osprey search for fish from the
air or from a perch high up in a tree. When
they spot a meal, they quickly
descend
and grab it with razor-sharp talons, curved
like fishhooks to
help hold slippery prey.
Bald Eagle
(Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Our national symbol, the bald eagle,
soarsoverwaterlookingforanopportunitytogetameal.Thisopportunistic foragerprefersfishbutalsoeatsmammals,
reptiles,andotherbirds.Watchforbald
eaglesyear-roundnearopenwater.
itspotsamealwithitskeeneyes,itsuddenlyswoopsinandgrabsitwithoneor
bothfeet.Itcarriesitspreytoanearby
tree,perchesonabranch,anddevoursit.
Ifthefishisbig,theeaglemighteatits
catchontheground.Ifthecatchissmall,
theeaglecansnackonitintheair.
FishThieves.Eagleseatalotoffish,but
Grabbing a Meal.Tofindfishorother instead of live fish, they often eat dead
liveprey,aneagleglidesoverhead.When fish. Because of its imposing size and
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fiercedemeanor,aneaglecansometimes Tograbafishswimmingasdeepas3feet,
stealfishfromasmaller,moresuccessful the osprey makes a steep dive, crashing
wildangler,suchasaheronoranosprey. straight down like a rock, feet first. The
osprey’slargefeethavelongtalonsanda
Trial and Error.Youngeaglesleavethe reversibletoethatworkslikeathumbto
nestwhen2to3monthsold.Forthefirst helpholdslipperycatches.
few weeks, these fledglings still depend
on their parents for food. Young eagles Fishing Expert. When the fishing is
learntohuntforfishbytrialanderror. easy,researchershavefoundthatforevery
Meanwhile,theyfeedmostlyondeadfish 10divesanospreymakes,itwillcatchas
theyfindfloatingorwasheduponshore. manyassevenfish.Thesefishingprofessionalsofthebirdworldrarelyscavenge
ondeadordyingfish.UsingtheirpowOsprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Becauseospreysdon’teatmuchelsebut erful wings, ospreys can easily haul a
fish,theymusthaveaccesstoopenwa- 2-poundfishfromthesurfaceofthewater.ComeMarch,asicemeltsonMin- ter.Afteradive,theospreytwistsitsentire
nesota’s lakes and rivers, they return bodybackandforthintheairlikeadog
shakingoffwater.Thenitheadsbacktoits
fromasfarawayasSouthAmerica.
Ospreysfishforwhateverhappensto perchornesttochowdown.
beinshallowwaterornearthesurface.
That might be sunfish, suckers, bull- Born to Fish.Ospreysusuallytaketheir
first flight sometime before they turn 2
heads,gizzardshad,ortrout.
monthsold.Researchersstudyingospreys
Feet First. An osprey hunts from its in Florida observed fledglings trying to
perchnearthewater.Oritsoarshighover catchfishfivedaysaftertakingtheirfirst
thewaterinsearchofschoolingfishnear flight.Whilelearningtofish,theydepend
thesurface.Tocatchfast-movingfishnear ontheirparentsforfood.
the surface, the osprey makes a gradual
dive,likeaplanecominginforalanding. A bald eagle grabs a gizzard shad from the Mississippi River.
RIVER OTTER
MINK BY BILL MARCHEL
Fish-eating
Furbearers
Scavengers such as raccoons, skunks,
and black bears eat fish when they find
them. Mink have the ability to
pursue and
Riverottersarealsorightathomeon young otters quickly get the hang of it
land.Theyrunandboundwellandwon’t andbeginfishingontheirown.
passupamealofmiceorsmallbirds.
Learn from Watching Wild Anglers
Hard-Working Mothers. When it You can learn a lot about fishing from
comestoraisingyoungotters,themoth- watching and listening to experienced
erotterdoesallthework.Givingbirthto anglers.Youcanalsolearnbyobserving
littersofonetosixyoung,thefemaleot- andaskingquestionsaboutthebehavior
terfeedstheminthedenforabouttwo ofMinnesota’swildanglers.Doyouever
months.Whenthekitsareoldenough, wonder why you always see a loon at
the mother otter leads them out of the yourfavoritefishingspot?Canyouwalk
denfortheirfirstswimminglesson.Be- quietlyalongtheshorelikeawadingbird?
ing naturally built for swimming, the Areyoupatientlikeaneagle?n
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catch live fish, but the best of all fishing
River otters eat a variety of fish,
including pumpkinseeds (opposite
page) and bullheads (this page).
They also dine on crayfish, turtles,
and frogs.
mammals in Minnesota is the river otter.
North American River Otter
(Lontra canadensis)
The river otter, a full-time resident of
Minnesota, fishes year-round in rivers,
lakes,andwetlands.Whilefishingbelow
ice,theriverottercanholditsbreathas
longaseightminutes.Tocatchabreath,
itpopsupthroughaniceholeoraplace
where river current has kept the water
open.Otterssometimesappearplayfulas
theyrollinthegrassorslidedownsnowcoveredhillsontheirsilkyfur.
powerful swimmer pursues its prey. It
has excellent underwater vision. The
riverottercanalsolocatefishinmurky
water, thanks to vibrissae, sensitive
whiskersnearitsnostrilsthathelpdetect
vibrationsmadebyswimmingfish.The
otter’s oily fur repels water. Its nostrils
andearsclosewhenitdives.Theriver
otter catches a fish with its teeth and
usesitsfrontpawstoholdthefishwhile
eatingit.
Waterfront Living.Riverotterslivein
Underwater Pursuit. This member dens, which are usually natural hollows
of the weasel family prefers to hunt at alongthebanksoflakesandrivers.While
night.Paddlingitswebbedfeetandflex- mostoftheirdietisfish,theyalsodineon
ing its long body and strong tail, this crayfish,amphibians,andeventurtles.
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A Note to Teachers
Find links to teachers guides to this and other stories online at
www.mndnr.gov/young_naturalists.
May–June2011
* www.mndnr.gov/magazine Watch a pair of river otters diving for fish on a Minnesota lake.
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