Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)
The Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) is commonly known as the snakebird, black darter or American darter. It is closely related to the darter specie. The Anhinga has a wingspan of about 4 feet, and is between 32 to 36 inches in height. They are black in color, with smallish heads (almost snakelike), long bills and have patches of almost a silver color on their wings. The most common areas to find the Anhinga, would be South America, between the southeastern United States up to Argentina, and in specific warmer areas of North America.
The Anhinga does have a preferred diet of fish, but will also eat water snakes, tadpoles, frog eggs and young alligators. Therefore, they will live near streams, water canals, fresh water swamps, bays, lagoons or any watery area that can provide them with food. Anhinga’s have an extraordinary way of hunting for their food. Their feathers do not have the waterproofing you would find on other water birds. This enables them to dive underwater for their catch, and they are able to stay under water for quite lengthy periods at a time. They will either, swim with only their heads sticking out and dive into the water, of dive down from the air. This significant feature also has its negative side. If an Anhinga needs to get out the water quickly its waterlogged feathers does prove to be an obstacle. You will then see them vigorously clapping their wings, while their feet try to run along the water. It is not uncommon to find a snakebird sitting in the sun with its wings open for hours, as they need to dry their feathers.
Prey is often speared with their bills and either tossed into the air so that fish can be swallowed head first, or at times, the catch can get stuck on their bills, forcing the Anhinga to return to shore and hit the fish off against the rocks.
When Anhingas’ are heading toward their breeding time, a blue ring forms around their eyes. They build their nests in trees above the water, and construction materials are usually sticks after which nests are lined with leaves or moss. The female snakebird will lay about three to five eggs, and the eggs are light blue in color. The incubation period for the eggs is approximately a month.
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