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  Profile

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  In flight

Seabirds

Anhinga

Anhinga anhinga

• epic
• 72 km/h
• Least Concern

Swims underwater spearfishing, then hangs itself out to dry like wet laundry. The snake-bird carries your words damp.

Population

~33,300–133,000 mature individuals globally (2012 est., BirdLife/IUCN)

Habitat

Freshwater swamps, marshes, slow-moving rivers, lakes, and mangrove-lined shallow waters; requires nearby perches for sunning and drying its feathers

Fun fact

Because its feathers lack full waterproofing, the Anhinga swims with its body submerged and only its slender neck above the surface — a habit that earns it the nickname "snakebird."

Range

Warm parts of the Americas: southeastern United States through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean (subspecies A. a. leucogaster), and South America mainly east of the Andes south through Trinidad and Tobago to Argentina (nominate A. a. anhinga)

Diet

Primarily small- to medium-sized wetland fish (e.g., sunfish, bass, catfish, mullet), speared underwater with a rapid thrust of its partly opened bill; also amphibians, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates

Size

0.89 m

Wingspan

1.16 m

Lifespan

12 years