ANHINGA

Did you know? Many Rainforest Expeditions guests spot this rare, coveted bird around our jungle lodges!

The Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) is one of the most often sighted aquatic bird species in the Tambopata jungle, along with kingfishers and herons. However, Anhinga occurs in naturally low numbers. They are a large and long-tailed birds with a neck like a needle. Anhinga needs open areas of water to fish. Therefore, you never find them in small, shaded creeks that flow through the Amazon jungle.

You can recognize Anhingas by their thin neck, sharp, needle-like bill, and long, barred tail. It shares the same habitat with the similar Neotropic Cormorant. Tell them apart by a long tail, pointed bill, and plumage (partly brown in young birds, silvery feathers on the backs of adults). Anhingas are excellent swimmers. They paddle beneath the surface of the water with webbed feet as they search for fish. Anhingas catch their prey with a stab of their sharp beak. They spend the rest of their time with wings partly open, perched on branches or snags that stick out of the water.

Anhinga Fun Facts

“Snakebird”: The word “Anhinga” comes from the Tupi language and means, “Snakebird”. The reason for this name is immediately apparent as soon as one watches an Anhinga swimming through the water with just its serpentine neck and head sticking above the surface.

The darter of the Americas: The Anhinga is in a small family of birds known as “darters”. There are three other species of darters globally: one in Africa, one in Asia, and another in Australia.

Can’t waterproof its feathers: Anhingas can’t waterproof their feathers by preening them with oil from a uropygial gland. Their plumage, therefore, becomes waterlogged when diving beneath the surface. This is probably an adaptation for catching prey underwater. Good fliers: Anhingas may be at home in the water, but they also frequently take to the air. Anhingas soar high above a river or rainforest on flat wings. The long neck and tail give them a cross-like appearance in flight.