Anhinga, Anhinga anhinga

Anhinga, Anhinga anhinga leucogaster. Photograph taken in the coastal region of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, October 2022. Photograph and identification courtesy of of Faith Hubsch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Anhinga, Anhinga anhinga leucogaster. Photograph taken in the coastal region of Costa Rica, February 2023. Photograph courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.

Background and Identification

The Anhinga, Anhinga anhinga, is a member of the Anhingidae Family of Anhingas. They are mid-sized in stature. Also commonly known as the “snakebird” or “water turkey”, this species is known for its sharp pointed bill and long slender neck. It uses its bill to spear fish. One of the most striking behaviors of the Anhinga is its method of swimming, as it often swims with its body submerged and only its neck above water, giving it a snake-like appearance. In Mexico, the American Anhinga is known as Anhinga Americano.

The Anhinga’s plumage is primarily black with silvery wing patterns. It has elongated tail feathers that resemble a turkey’s tail. Males are generally darker with a greenish sheen, while females and juveniles have a lighter, brownish neck and chest.

Habitat and Geographical Range

The Anhinga inhabits freshwater environments such as lakes, rivers, swamps, and marshes. It prefers areas with abundant vegetation and access to open water for fishing. They are found in shallow, slow-moving, sheltered freshwater with nearby perches that they use for drying and sunning. They consume many small to medium-sized wetland fishes and limited amounts of crustaceans and invertebrates.

This species is found in the southeastern United States, particularly in Florida and along the Gulf Coast, extending through Central America and into South America as south as Argentina. In Mexico, they are found in the coastal regions within the Atlantic Slope from Tampico, Tamaulipas to Belize, excluding the Yucatán Peninsula, and within the Pacific Slope from southern Sinaloa to Guatemala at elevations up to 900 m (2,950 feet).

Common Misidentifications

The Anhinga is often mistaken for other water birds, especially various species of cormorants, due to their similar body shape and diving behavior. To read about cormorants, the reader can explore the following web pages: Neotropic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, and Brandt’s Cormorant. The Double-crested Cormorant is the most likely misidentification. It can be distinguished by a shorter neck, hooked bill, and more consistent dark plumage without the silvery wing patterns seen in Anhingas. Additionally, cormorants often hold their wings out to dry in a different posture compared to the Anhinga’s more dramatic wing-spreading display.

Conservation Perspective

From a conservation perspective the Anhinga is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Like many aquatic birds, it faces threats from habitat destruction, water pollution, and climate change. Wetland drainage and the reduction of suitable freshwater habitats can impact Anhinga populations.