Anhinga
by Winston D Munnings
Title
Anhinga
Artist
Winston D Munnings
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photography
Description
The Anhinga, 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. It is a cormorant-like bird with an average body length of 85 cm (35 in), a wingspan of 117 cm (45 in), and a weight of 1,350 g (48 oz). It is a dark-plumaged piscivore with a very long neck, and often swims with only the neck above water. When swimming in this style the name Snakebird is apparent, since only the colored neck appears above water the bird looks like a snake ready to strike. The Anhinga is a member of the darter family, Anhingidae, and is closely related to Indian (Anhinga melanogaster), African (A. rufa), and Australian (A. novaehollandiae) Darters. Unlike ducks, the Anhinga is not able to waterproof its feathers using oil produced by the uropygial gland.
Uploaded
April 15th, 2023
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