Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)

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Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)

Photo Credit: Tom Davis

Length: 34-36 in.
Habitat: Freshwater ponds and swamps with thick vegetation.
Range: Atlantic and Gulf coasts from North Carolina to Texas and in the Mississippi Valley north to Arkansas and Tennessee. South to southern South America.

The Anhinga is a blackish birds of southern swamps with a very long, slender neck and long tail. Male's plumage has greenish iridiscence; wings silvery gray above. Female's tawny brown neck and breast contrast with black belly.

The Anhinga is also known as the "Snakebird" because its body is submerged when swimming so that only its head and long, slender neck are visible above the water. Its long, dagger-shaped, serrated bill is ideally suited for catching fish, which it flips into the air and gulps down headfirst.