Anhingas

You don't have to be lucky to see an anhinga. That's because it is Florida's most popular water bird. The anhinga is popular because of its habitat, the way it looks, its behaviors, its food, and its uniqueness. You may not know what an anhinga is but there is a good chance that you have seen one. After you read my report you'll be able to spot an anhinga from a mile away.

The anhinga lives only in Florida. You'll most likely find one in very high trees. You will also find the anhinga in bushes, freshwater swamps and lakes in the everglades . Anhingas are so versatile that they can live in murky water and freshwater.

The anhinga special appearances makesit noticeable from the other water birds. The female anhinga is brighter then the male anhinga because it is trying to attract a mate. The females feathers are whiter in the neck and chest area. They also have a long tail which gives them the nickname the water turkey. It has another nickname called the "snake bird" because of its snakelike neck. The American darter and the black darter are names also given to the anhinga due to its neck.

An anhinga behavior is very diverse. Unlike the Quaker parrot, anhinga are basically loners. However, sometimes they can be found in groups of herons, cormorants, ibises, or storks. Anhinga do nest with other small groups of its species. It is very unusual to see an anhinga with another anhinga. Anhinga are very quiet birds. They do get vocal when they are near its nest. They are very quiet when they molt. When an anhinga starts to fly, they either run on the water or dive from a tree. When they are underwater you can only see its neck and head, however it doesn't float very good. They spend most of their time in the water fishing for food. The rest of the time they spend sunning and getting dry.

Now we will look into how the anhinga reproduces. Around the age of two years the anhinga starts to breed. Anhingas can use the same nest every year. The anhinga also has the same mate. The mating season starts when the male begins to build a nest. He gathers twigs and leaves and weaving them together. The female lays one egg every one to three days until she has about four. The eggs are blue green and sometimes have brown spots on them. Both parents share the incubating job. This is unusual because with most animals only the

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