The Anhinga Water Turkey
by Gary Keesler
Title
The Anhinga Water Turkey
Artist
Gary Keesler
Medium
Photograph
Description
The Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga), occasionally known as Snakebird, Darter, American Darter, or Water Turkey, is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas.
The word anhinga comes from the Brazilian Tupi language and means devil bird or snake bird. It is a cormorant-like bird with an average body length of 85 cm (33 in), a wingspan of 117 cm (46 in), and a mass of up to 1.35 kg (3.0 lb).
Anhingas and cormorants are extremely similar as regards their body and leg skeletons. But unlike the cormorants, anhingas usually inhabit fresh water lakes, rivers, marshes, swamps, and are less often found in the vicinity of salt water. Anhingas have a more pointed bill than cormorants which allows them to spear fish. They have completely webbed feet, and their legs are short and set far back on the body. The males contain black and dark brown plumage, a short erectile crest on the nape and a larger bill than the female. The females have a much paler plumage, and are a bit larger overall.
It is a dark-plumaged piscivore with a very long neck, and often swims with only the neck above water. While swimming in this style the name Snakebird is obvious, since only the colored neck appears above water the bird looks like a snake ready to strike. They do not contain external nares (nostrils) and breathe solely through their epiglottis.
Nothing like ducks, the Anhinga is not able to water-resistant its feathers using oil produced by the uropygial gland. As a result, feathers can become saturated, making the bird barely buoyant. Nonetheless, this lets it to dive easily and search for underwater prey, such as fish and amphibians. It can stay down for significant periods.
When required, the Anhinga will dry out its wings and feathers, with the resemblance of the semicircular full-spread shape of its group of tail feathers while drying them out, to that of true meleagrine males lending the name "water turkey" to it. It will perch for long durations with its wings spread to allow the drying process, as do cormorants. If it tries to take to the air while its wings are soaked, it has great difficulty getting off the water and takes off by flapping vigorously at the same time as "running" on the water.
Uploaded
August 31st, 2013
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