Wading birds; including, Herons, Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills and the endangered Wood Storks each approach feeding differently. Wood Storks use their large feet to “stir” and startle prey in muddy pools. Spoonbills; often mistaken for flamingos due to their pink color, sweep their oversize beaks in shallow water. Herons and egrets will strike their prey with their long sharp bills. For many wading birds, the level and clearness of the water is vital to their ability to capture small aquatic animals like fish, crayfish, shrimp and frogs. Limpkins love apple snails. They wade from shore, feeling for snails on the bottom with their beaks. When they find one, they bring it back to shore and methodically hammer away at it to break its shell and extract the snail.
Two diving birds that are not waterfowl but are regularly confused by newcomers to the Everglades are the Anhinga, often called a snakebird or water turkey and the Double-Crested Cormorant. The Cormorant has a more pronounced hook on its beak. The Anhinga is often seen regally sitting in the sun with its wings wide open. They are actually raising their body temperature since their feathers cannot trap air to keep themselves warm when they are swimming underwater. Perching birds, also known as songbirds, rely on all of the habitats of the Refuge for food and nesting. Red-winged blackbirds, among the more abundant songbirds on the Refuge, crack open seeds with their thick bills as they perch on the sides of branches. Warblers and vireos, with their slender beaks, are insect eaters; but will also feed on fruit when migrating. Woodpeckers, such as the large and striking Pileated Woodpecker and the smaller Red-bellied Woodpecker can be seen and heard perched on the sides of the trees chiseling loudly into the wood searching for insects.
