Winged Snakes?

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Winged Snakes?

Today’s special animal friend is the Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga), a water bird found on the southern coasts of North America, in the Amazon basin, and throughout Brazil. Also known as “snakebirds” or “darters,” the Anhinga genus includes four species. The species are allopatric, which means that their ranges do not overlap. A. anhinga is found in the Americas, while the other species live in Asia, Africa, or Australia.

Anhingas are called “snakebirds” because they swim with their dark bodies below the water surface and the neck and head above water, looking like a snake, only snakes don't swim with their heads elevated that way.

They are called “darters” because they use their long, pointed beaks like a dart to pierce fish or frogs.

Anhingas are a large bird, averaging over 30 inches in length with a wingspan over 40 inches. They have mostly black feathers and a wide tail. Females and juveniles have a light brown head and neck. Their feathers are not waterproof, so they are often observed standing on the shoreline, on snags, or on dock pilings with their wings and tail feathers outspread toward the sun, drying the feathers between swims. The birds who live the furthest north and south, where there are significant seasonal declines in available sunshine, migrate nearer to the equator during their winter months.

Here is a nice view of one basking in Florida:

Anhingas in different habitats eat a wide variety of small to medium-sized fish, frogs, crustaceans, snakes, and baby alligators, which they stalk underwater or on the surface. They favor shallow, slow-moving waterways. A male builds a nest platform of sticks lined with fresh leaves, moss, and other vegetation in a low branch usually above water. This attracts a mate. The female lays 2 to 5 eggs, which hatch in about a month. Both parents feed the hatchlings for two to three weeks. As they grow, it is common for the nestlings to fall out of the nest into the water, where they find they can swim. Sometimes they can get back into the nest; if not, they remain on shore nearby.

It is common for anhingas to nest in groups of up to hundreds of pairs. They also soar in “kettles” with other shore birds, including cormorants.

Anhingas are a species of Least Concern, found in large numbers throughout their very large range. Natural predators include large birds of prey such as Marsh Harriers. They are also eaten by alligators. However, their long, sharp bill and habit of stabbing makes them a risky target for even a large predator.