Shy Anhinga 6027
by Ginger Stein
Title
Shy Anhinga 6027
Artist
Ginger Stein
Medium
Photograph - Bird Photography
Description
The anhinga (Anhinga anhinga), sometimes called snakebird, darter, American darter, or water turkey, is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. This includes the Everglades, where this image of a male in breeding season - evidenced by the bright blue around his eye - was taken. The origin of the name snakebird is apparent when swimming: only the colored neck appears above water so the bird looks like a snake ready to strike. The male is a glossy black-green with the wings, base of wings, and tail a glossy black-blue. The tip of the tail has white feathers. The back of the head and the neck have elongated feathers that have been described as gray or light purple-white. The upper back of the body and wings is spotted or streaked with white. The female anhinga is similar to the male except that it has a pale gray-buff or light brown head, neck, and upper chest. This bird is often mistaken for the double-crested cormorant due to its similar size and shape, although the two species can be differentiated by their tails and bills. The tail of the anhinga is wider and much longer than that of the cormorant. The bill of the anhinga is pointed, while the bill of the cormorant has a hook-tip. Unlike ducks, ospreys and pelicans which coat their feathers with oil from their uropygial gland, the anhinga does not have waterproof feathers. Their feathers get soaked upon immersion in water. Therefore, they cannot stay floating on water for long periods of time. Their dense bones, wetted plumage and neutral buoyancy in water, allows them to fully submerge and search for underwater prey.
The anhinga cannot fly with wet feathers. If it attempts to fly while its wings are wet, the anhinga has difficulty, flapping vigorously while "running" on the water. Like cormorants, the anhinga stands with wings spread and feathers fanned open in a semicircular shape to dry its feathers and absorb heat. They face away from the sun to dry their feathers.[
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--Wildlife One A Day 4/22/19
Uploaded
July 29th, 2018
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