Anhinga

Anhinga redirects here. For the genus Anhinga, see Category:Anhinga.

Male: Photo by stejon
Photo taken: Florida, USA

Anhinga anhinga

Identification

L. 89 cm Ws. 117 cm

• Slender
• Dark body
• Long tail and neck

Male:

• Jet black with green iridescence
• Dramatic silver and white markings on upper back and forewings
• Long, sharp yellow bill
• Red eyes with blue skin

Female:

• Dark brown overall
• Lighter brown head, neck, and breast

Distribution

Female: Photo by nomdeploom
Photo taken: Sabal Palm Audubon Center, Texas, USA

In the U.S., it is found all along the Gulf of Mexico coast, inland east Texas to Florida.

It is also found along a narrow strip on the southwest coast of Mexico, in Cuba (vagrant in the rest of the Caribbean), and in Central and South America from Guatemala and Belize south to Argentina.

Habitat

Freshwater ponds, lakes, and marshes.

Behaviour

Dives frequently for fish, which it spears with its long sharp bill, then tosses them in the air until it can swallow them headfirst. The colloquial name, Snakebird, can be quite descriptive when this bird is in the water - it swims with its body mostly submerged, and just the long sinuous neck above. On quick glance, it can thus appear to be a swimming snake. The other common posture is on a tree near or over water, where it spends hours with wings extended, drying in the sun; unlike ducks, it has no oil with which to waterproof its feathers, an adaptation to improve its diving ability. Monogamous.

External Links

• Anhinga USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
• Anhinga videos on the Internet Bird Collection

Search for photos of Anhinga in the gallery