Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Anhinga

Anhinga
[Anhinga anhinga]


Because of my recent trip to Florida, I've decided to put off describing my Arizona friends for a little while and show off all the beautiful and amazing birds I met recently! The Anhinga was the first of the birds I saw on a fanboat tour! 
They don't have the natural oils that other waterbirds have, and they can get their feathers so saturated with water that they can sink down and stay submerged for long periods of time to fish! Most of the time they are spotted drying off with their wings stretched out to the sun, like in this picture.
At 33 - 36 inches, with a wingspan of 40 - 45 inches, (approximation from my own sightings) long, sharp yellow bill, and distinctive white wing coverts, these guys are impossible to mistake! This picture is of a female Anhinga, the males heads are black, like the rest of their bodies.


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This is the only actual post I made during the Wikipedia blackout. It doesn't have all the information I usually give, and it won't, ever.

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