Anhingas (aka...water turkey, snake bird) are fish eating birds who literally outswim their fishy prey. When hunting, all you usually see is bill, head, and slender neck as they surface for air. Their feathers aren't protected by oil glands like other water birds, so after a bout of diving for fish, they will find a perch and spread their wings to dry.
5 comments:
Love the anhingas! We used to always see a few at Dauphin Island AL, but in the past several years we haven't. I wonder if they are in decline?
This brings back more memories from my grandparents' place on the St. Johns River. I used to spend hours out on the dock just watching birds like this.
Rurality,
I think they have the coolest name of any bird. I don't know about a decline, but as fish populations go, so goes the Anhinga...
Deb,
As a kid I tried to rescue an Anhinga that was wrapped up in fishing line and hanging from a tree branch. He almost took my eye out with that long sharp beak. When you're a kid, you don't think about an animal defending itself when you are trying to help it. That was a real eye opener for me...
These are beautiful pictures and beautiful birds. I've never heard of them before. Fascinating!
Hick,
I know they are a bird of the south, but I don't know how far west they are found. I would guess eastern Texas.
Post a Comment