Bird’s ID – Anhinga
Anhinga
The Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga), sometimes called snakebird, darter, American darter, or water turkey, is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. The word anhinga comes from the Brazilian Tupi language and means devil bird or snake bird. The origin of the name snakebird is apparent when swimming : only the colored neck appears above water so the bird looks like a snake ready to strike. They do not have external nares (nostrils) and breathe solely through their epiglottis.
The anhinga is placed in the darter family, Anhingidae, and is closely related to Indian (Anhinga melanogaster), African (A. rufa), and Australian (A. novaehollandiae) darters. Like other darters, the anhinga hunts by spearing fishes and other small prey using its sharp, slender beak.
Anhinga species are found all over the world in warm shallow waters. The American anhinga has been subdivided into two subspecies, A. a. anhinga and A. a. leucogaster, based on their location. A. a. anhinga can be found mainly east of the Andes in South America and also the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. A. a. leucogaster can be found in the southern United States, Mexico, Cuba, and Grenada. A fossil species Anhinga walterbolesi has been described from the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene of Australia.
H.J. Ruiz - Avian101 
An amazing looking bird HJ, similar to our Australian Darter which is a subspecies. I really enjoy seeing their nestlings, they look like snakes with beaks. Enjoy your week!
They are quite interesting birds, streamline figure and uses the beak as a spear. Thank you Ashley, take care! 🙂
It took me a while to learn to distinguish anhingas and cormorants, which are far more common here than the anhinga. We do have both, though, and ‘water turkey’ is a common name used for both species.
Look similar seen from afar but at a closer look there are many differences. Thank you Linda! 🙂
Wonderful photographs, you are so clever.
Thank you my friend, I appreciate it! 🙂
great pictures, HJ! 🙂
Thank you Indira! 🙂
What a striking bird.
Isn’t it? Thanks Tom! 🙂
Wonderful shots. Just such beautiful creatures.
Thank you very much S.! They really are! 🙂
Un maestoso volatile, che hai mostrato in bellissime pose
Un caro saluto,silvia
Grazie mille Silvia! Saluto. 🙂
#1 – EXCELLENT!!!
Thank you friends! 🙂