Anhinga

Anhinga anhingaOrder: PELECANIFORMES Family: Anhinga (Anhingidae)

Codes: Common Name: ANHI Scientific Name: ANHANH ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174755

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Anhinga: Large, dark waterbird with long tail, snake-like neck, small head, red eyes, and long olive-brown bill. Body is green-black overall with silver-gray feathers appearing speckled and grizzled on upper back and forewings. AKA snakebird and water turkey. Often soars like a raptor.

Range and Habitat

Anhinga: Breeds near Atlantic and Gulf coasts from North Carolina to Texas, in Florida, and in Mississippi Valley north to southern Missouri and Kentucky. Spends winters along the Gulf Coast north to South Carolina. Also occurs in tropical America. Preferred habitats include freshwater and coastal water bodies with thick vegetation and large trees, which it uses for roosting and nesting.

Topo Map: Upright-perching Water-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"guk-guk-guk-guk-guk"

Interesting Facts

The Anhinga does not have oil glands for waterproofing its feathers like most water birds. When it swims, it gets wet which allows it to move more efficiently under water. When it leaves the water, it must spread its wings and dry in the sun.

It has a long tail that accounts for its nickname, “water turkey.”

While swimming, the head may be above the surface with its body below. Observers only see the long neck and head. This has resulted in another nickname, “snake bird.”

It spears fish with its long beak. Sometimes it has to swim to shore and pry the fish off its beak by rubbing on a rock or tree limb.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Anhinga

● Song: "guk-guk-guk-guk-guk"

● Foraging & Feeding: Anhinga: Feeds primarily on fish; also eats aquatic invertebrates. Targets slower-moving species of fish and stalks them underwater, striking snake-like with long neck and spearing prey with pointed bill. Prey is eaten above water after tossing it off the bill and positioning it for swallowing headfirst.

● Breeding & nesting: Anhinga: Two to five white to pale blue eggs are laid in a loose nest made of sticks and lined with grass and leaves. Incubation ranges from 25 to 29 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Anhinga: Neotropic Cormorant has yellow face and throat, shorter neck, and hooked bill. Double-crested Cormorant is larger with yellow throat patch, shorter neck, and hooked bill.

Flight Pattern

Strong graceful direct flight., Often soars like a raptor.

● Range & Habitat: Anhinga: Breeds near Atlantic and Gulf coasts from North Carolina to Texas, in Florida, and in Mississippi Valley north to southern Missouri and Kentucky. Spends winters along the Gulf Coast north to South Carolina. Also occurs in tropical America. Preferred habitats include freshwater and coastal water bodies with thick vegetation and large trees, which it uses for roosting and nesting.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial

^PopulationFairly common to common

^MigrationMost do not migrate

^Weight43.2 Ounces

Upright-perching Water-like Body

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Anhinga

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Range and Habitat

Topo Map: Upright-perching Water-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

Interesting Facts

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Related Birds

Anhinga

Flight Pattern