How Much Fish Do Birds Eat

[Dale S]

Spent the weekend at Beaver Mines. Got to watch and listen to the loons. The pair of Osprey were putting on quite a show. And the Bald Eagle is always good to see. With the planed fish stocking cutbacks will these lakes be able to support all these birds. How many fish does a loon eat in 1 day. How about a pair of Osprey feeding young.

[jaystev]

I believe that osprey can eat between a pound to two pounds of fish a day. One study I read says 5 fish a day but it would depend on how big the fish are. Havent read anything about loons though. All I know about loons is that they frequently scoop up weights and such for their gizzards or whatever and that the lead poisoning is really hurting their populations.

[Northwinds]

I have found on my lakes that a osprey will catch 3-5 trout/day if feeding chicks, these were 1lb trout. Also noted are mature birds sitting with a trout in their claws eating on it all day long,so my estimation would be 1lb of trout/day per bird.

Cormorants- will consume up to 1.25lb's of trout per day ,they will bite and kill larger fish but cannot swallow them, leaving them to die at a later date.
Telltale signs of a cormorant killed fish is a vertical slash mid body.

HERONS-will catch 2 or 3 fish per hour 8-12" long-they will spear much larger fish which will die at a later date as well.Easy to tell a Heron kill,look for a single puncture wound near the dorsal fin

Pelicans-will consume 5-8 lbs of fish per day.Fish size varies from small minnows up to 6 lb fish.

Eagles seem to get bigger fish,in fact. often they only hunt where the largest fish are kept.A 3-5 lb trout seems to be their favorite size.They catch and then often disappear for a few days.
I really don't mind the eagles as there presence will keep both osprey and cormorants away. LOL BUT so does a eagle kite and it doesn't eat fish!!!!!

[great white whaler]

I have found on my lakes that a osprey will catch 3-5 trout/day if feeding chicks, these were 1lb trout. Also noted are mature birds sitting with a trout in their claws eating on it all day long,so my estimation would be 1lb of trout/day per bird.

Cormorants- will consume up to 1.25lb's of trout per day ,they will bite and kill larger fish but cannot swallow them, leaving them to die at a later date.
Telltale signs of a cormorant killed fish is a vertical slash mid body.

HERONS-will catch 2 or 3 fish per hour 8-12" long-they will spear much larger fish which will die at a later date as well.Easy to tell a Heron kill,look for a single puncture wound near the dorsal fin

Pelicans-will consume 5-8 lbs of fish per day.Fish size varies from small minnows up to 6 lb fish.

Eagles seem to get bigger fish,in fact. often they only hunt where the largest fish are kept.A 3-5 lb trout seems to be their favorite size.They catch and then often disappear for a few days.
I really don't mind the eagles as there presence will keep both osprey and cormorants away. LOL BUT so does a eagle kite and it doesn't eat fish!!!!!

I counted 9 cormorant at this one small lake ,,each cormorant can eat up to 10 trout per day,,i noticed yesterday there was only 1 cormorant left and i wasn't catching any fish ,there was 3000 trout stocked in this pond in may month,,its like no fish even briching ,,i thing cororants are doing more damage then the loon

[Speckle55]

I watched a male bring 3 fish in less that a hour just the other day at Muskiki lake .. there were 2 chicks in nest and in this report they say a chick will eat 6 per day .. and they say Ospreys eat twice per day
http://www.hww.ca/en/species/birds/osprey.html

David:)

[great white whaler]

I watched a male bring 3 fish in less that a hour just the other day at Muskiki lake .. there were 2 chicks in nest and in this report they say a chick will eat 6 per day .. and they say Ospreys eat twice per day
http://www.hww.ca/en/species/birds/osprey.html

David:)

hows the fishing at fairfax lake ?

[Moefoe]

I've seen Pelicans sneak up on rising Trout on the Bow...they'll gobble down an 18" rainbow like it's nuthin!!

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

Pelicans are the #1 poachers out there .

[Dale S]

I'm glad you don't see pelicans or cormorants at Beaver Mines.

[JohninAB]

Was out on Wabamun with Geezle and we must have seen 200 cormorants total flying around in 2 or 3 different flocks. Cormorants are the worst in my humble opinion as do they not only adversely affect the fish population they also kill the trees they roost in as well. Know some jurisdictions in Canada actually have their fish and wildlife officers shoot them and/or oil their eggs to control the bird's numbers.

[Speckle55]

Fairfax was fishing good early but now they say it mostly the little ones they stocked

David:)

hows the fishing at fairfax lake ?

[JReed]

I'm curious how many birds the fish(pike) eat? hahaha

[WayneChristie]

Talking to a biologist last year, he said pelicans arent too big an issue as the majority of the fish they eat are dead or sick, since they surface feed. Its the frikkin cormorants who do most of the damage since they do dive for their fish. Im all for having a season on cormorants or even put them in the same class as crows and fire away :)

[keep6matt]

Talking to a biologist last year, he said pelicans arent too big an issue as the majority of the fish they eat are dead or sick, since they surface feed. Its the frikkin cormorants who do most of the damage since they do dive for their fish. Im all for having a season on cormorants or even put them in the same class as crows and fire away :)

X2 shoot em down, they are fish killers beyond any other bird out there.

[Northwinds]

There are kill permits available for both pelicans and cormorants to commercial fish farms.
As far as pelicans............ lets just say that even though my lakes are over 50 feet deep,Pelicans and Cormorants pretty well cleaned out 4000 big fish in a very short time,and I will tell you,they were neither sick or injured.Cormorants would chase them from below and then the Pelicans would slaughter them up near the surface, Biologists also view wolves feeding only on the sick, old and weak game animals, guess they were wrong twice !! :bad_boys_20:

[Junglefisher]

It's all meant to be a natural cycle. Fish breed up and start to stunt, cormorants breed up and wipe out all the small fish, then the cormorants starve allowing the fish to start to breed up again......
Unfortunately, we keep stocking the fish allowing the birds to keep their numbers high.
Would be interesting to see what one season of no stocking would do to their numbers.
In answer to the OQ, they eat lots! I once saw a cormorant eat a longtom (like a gar) that was about 16" long. It took it 20 minutes to get it down, then it went straight back to hunting.

[Northwinds]

It's all meant to be a natural cycle. Fish breed up and start to stunt, cormorants breed up and wipe out all the small fish, then the cormorants starve allowing the fish to start to breed up again......
Unfortunately, we keep stocking the fish allowing the birds to keep their numbers high.
Would be interesting to see what one season of no stocking would do to their numbers.
In answer to the OQ, they eat lots! I once saw a cormorant eat a longtom (like a gar) that was about 16" long. It took it 20 minutes to get it down, then it went straight back to hunting.

If cormorants were native to Alberta it would be a natural cycle,but they are not. They are not dying down and no where in Alberta will they starve. If it swims and has scales they eat it,preying heavily on lake fish as well as trout.We need a control measure put in place FAST,or we WILL pay the piper down the road.

[Dysfunctional Bubble]

Good thread.

Birds need to have catch limits. -_- Might i suggest:

Trout: 0 all waters, Pike: 1 over 63cm. I also suggest a catch and release rule until the poor fishes recover from that nasty flood. We must regulate all wild life to ensure the heath and safety of all Albertan fish.

:1041:

[coppercarbide]

Really interesting thread, I've often wondered that myself.

Besides pelicans and cormorants, what other birds in Alberta are generally recognized as 'overbred fish eaters'?

[chuck0039]

There is an article in this months AO magazine regarding comorants. They seem to be a very destructive bird

[WayneChristie]

Really interesting thread, I've often wondered that myself.

Besides pelicans and cormorants, what other birds in Alberta are generally recognized as 'overbred fish eaters'?

Native birds Id say none. Part of the natural cycle. Pelicans and cormorants, non native.

[Northwinds]

Really interesting thread, I've often wondered that myself.

Besides pelicans and cormorants, what other birds in Alberta are generally recognized as 'overbred fish eaters'?

In my lakes, these are the birds in order of predation amounts.
1) Cormorants
2) Pelicans
3) Osprey's
4) Blue Herons
5) Heron Gulls
6)Eagles
7) Loons
8)Night Herons
9)Ravens
10) Egrets 2 years running
11) Great horned owl 1 Time
NW

[fish gunner]

In my lakes, these are the birds in order of predation amounts.
1) Cormorants
2) Pelicans
3) Osprey's
4) Blue Herons
5) Heron Gulls
6)Eagles
7) Loons
8)Night Herons
9)Ravens
10) Egrets 2 years running
11) Great horned owl 1 Time
NW

You forgot merganzer's and grebes and ..... like three others:sHa_shakeshout: puffin .

[BGSH]

If cormorants were native to Alberta it would be a natural cycle,but they are not. They are not dying down and no where in Alberta will they starve. If it swims and has scales they eat it,preying heavily on lake fish as well as trout.We need a control measure put in place FAST,or we WILL pay the piper down the road.

You can't really say they are not native because cormorants can fly and there are no borders high enough to keep birds out. Some do use Alberta for migration.