AppearanceBrown above, white below, with a distinctive dark wrist patch on the underwing. White head with a broad brown eye-stripe. Pale-blue feet with reversible outer toe adapted for gripping fish.HabitatVirtually any body of water with large fish: coastlines, lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and estuaries. Nests on tall platforms — dead trees, channel markers, artificial platforms.BehaviourThe only hawk in North America that dives feet-first into water to catch fish, plunging from heights of 10–40 m. Shakes itself dry in flight after a dive. Carries fish head-first to reduce aerodynamic drag.SeasonalitySummer breeder in temperate zones; winters in South America and the Caribbean. Migrates along coastlines and river corridors.RangeCosmopolitan — found on every continent except Antarctica. One of the world's most widely distributed birds of prey.