Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga leucogaster
32.7873, -79.9585
Field Notes
Description:
seen on a lake within the Magnolia plantation. A group of fledgling birds, probably about 3 to 4 weeks old waiting for parents to return. 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.
Notes:
Anhingas stalk fish underwater, mainly where there is some flora present. Once they locate their prey, they partly open their bill and stab the fish swiftly. For larger fish, they use both their jaws and use the lower jaw on small fish.[8] If the fish is too large to forage, the anhinga stabs it repeatedly and then lets it go. The anhingas bring their capture to the surface of the water, toss it backwards and engulf it head-first. The anhinga cannot fly with wet feathers. If it attempts to fly while its wings are wet, the anhinga has difficulty, flapping vigorously while "running" on the water.
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment
Sign in to comment