You might see an Anhinga flying overhead,
or basking in the sun to dry off after a swim.
Yes, swim.
The Anhinga is a diving bird. It pops up out of the water briefly, and
then vanishes beneath it again.
Big yellow webbed feet help Anhinga swim, and they are also good for
scratching the occasional itch:
Every so often I see a large fish above the water. There's generally an
Anhinga holding it up.
They swim to shore when they catch big fish
and eat them there.
Sometimes the Anhinga will come out of the water with a little fish, toss it
up in the air, catch it, and swallow it. I wonder how many tiny
fish this big bird needs to eat to fill up?
The turquoise means that it's baby Anhinga season. During
the remainder of the year, when they are not so focused on parenthood,
the color around their eyes goes back to brown for the girls, and black
for the guys.
This Anhinga has a brown neck. She's a girl. Notice the deep turquoise
color around her eyes?
Boy Anhinga have a black head and neck. Both sexes have dark bodies
with a sprinkle of white feathers on the back of their wings.
Visit these additional Anhinga pages:
