Photos by Donna

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Found in the southeast United States from Texas to the Carolinas, the Anhinga is a large, slender waterbird with a long neck, long tail, and dagger-like beak.

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Anhinga’s distinctive shape has earned it two nicknames, “water turkey” for its turkey-like tail, and “snake bird” for its long snake-like neck as it slithers through the water.

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Unlike most waterbirds, Anhingas do not have waterproof feathers.  While that may seem like a disadvantage for their watery lifestyle, their wet feathers and dense bones help them slowly submerge their bodies under the water so they can slyly stalk fish.

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Therefore, when taking a break, Anhingas do need to spread their wings to dry them inbetween fishing.

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The Anhinga is in a small family of birds known as “darters”.  There are three other species of darters on the globe; one in Africa, one in Asia, and another in Australia.

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