Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga
Also known as: American Anhinga, American Darter, Black-Bellied Darter, Snakebird, Water Turkey
About This Species
Watch for a long, snake-like neck breaking the surface of freshwater swamps, lakes and slow rivers across the southeastern United States and into Central and South America, since the body swims almost fully submerged. After diving to spear fish with its sharp bill, it typically climbs onto a snag or branch and holds its wings spread wide to dry. Warm, sunny mornings after a period of active fishing give the best chance of seeing this wing-drying posture.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Keep a distance of at least 20 metres from perched or nesting birds, since flushing one from a drying perch or nest costs it valuable energy.
- In the United States it is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, while protections elsewhere in its range vary, so treat nesting colonies with caution regardless of location.
- Avoid approaching by boat too closely in swamps, as repeated disturbance can cause colony abandonment.
Seasonal Activity
1,520,423 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Suliformes
- Family
- Anhingidae
Photo
(c) Justina Martelli, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Justina Martelli
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.