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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Gannets, Cormorants, and Allies (Order Suliformes)

-Darters (Family Anhingidae)

-Darters (Genus Anhinga)

-Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)


The Anhinga Anhinga is a large aquatic bird found in fresh and brackish wetlands across the Americas. It has a wide range, stretching from southeastern Canada and the southern United States into the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America. Anhingas belong to a small group of birds called the darters, and they look a bit like cormorants. These birds feed on fish, frogs, crustaceans, and other aquatic prey, typically by diving or quickly surfacing from the water. Anhingas have a unique and striking appearance, with dark brown feathers on their wings and backs, white feathers on their chests and bellies, and long, S-shaped necks. They are often called “snakebirds” due to their ability to swim with just their heads and necks above the water.

Anhinga

Anhinga anhinga

Diet

  • Primarily fish, which it spears underwater with its long, sharp bill.

  • Also feeds on frogs, tadpoles, aquatic snakes, small turtles, crayfish, shrimp, and aquatic insects.

  • Hunts by swimming almost completely submerged, using its long neck to rapidly thrust its bill into prey.

Range

  • Found from the southeastern United States south through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America to northern Argentina.

  • Occurs throughout much of Mexico, including the Zihuatanejo region.

  • Inhabits freshwater lakes, ponds, marshes, slow-moving rivers, mangrove lagoons, estuaries, and reservoirs.

  • A year-round resident in most tropical and subtropical parts of its range.

Male / Female

  • Male: Glossy black plumage with silvery-white streaking on the wings and back; black neck and head with a greenish sheen.

  • Female: Similar overall shape but has a buff to pale brown head, neck, and upper breast, contrasting with the darker body.

  • Juveniles: Brown overall with a pale buff neck and underparts, lacking the glossy black plumage of adults.

Size

  • Length: 81–97 cm (32–38 in)

  • Wingspan: 114–132 cm (45–52 in)

  • Weight: 1.0–1.35 kg (2.2–3.0 lb)

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