Anhinga

 

Usually when I’ve see Anhingas, they’re swimming, poking their head out of the water like a periscope, or drying off, stretching both wings out in the sun. Interestingly, the Everglades National Park says that sometimes they sun themselves not to dry off, but simply to get warm.^[1]

This Anhinga was sitting alone on a branch, high above the water, tucked away in its own little oasis of cypress trees. It looked like it was enjoying its picturesque hideaway.

Anhingas look a lot like Double-breasted Cormorants, another black waterbird. One way to tell them apart is by their beaks. Cormorants have beaks with a curved tip, while Anhingas have beaks that are straight. In other words, you can remember C for "cormorant" and "curved" and A for "anhinga" with a beak that's straight as an arrow.

The Details:

Common Name: Anhinga
Scientific Name: Anhinga anhinga (What’s more fun than saying Anhinga once? Saying it twice!)

Order: Suliformes

Family: Anhingidae

Seen: In a cypress tree above the water

Month: June

Learn More About Anhingas:

1. Everglades National Park. (2018, June 6). Anhinga: Species Profile. National Park Service.