Anhinga, Anhinga anhinga
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![]() Anhingas, freshwater birds found throughout the American Southeast, are close relatives of the cormorants. Above and below, males in breeding plumage. |
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![]() The male, above, and female, below, are both drying their wings; like the cormorants, Anhingas lack the ability of most waterbirds to waterproof their wings with oil, so they must spend a good deal of their time out of the water with their wings spread in the sun. |
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![]() Above, a female Anhinga in breeding plumage flying out of the nest. |
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![]() A nestling, still with white down on the back half of its body, replaced by light brown juvenal feathering on the front half. |
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![]() The same nestling begging for food from its mother. |
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![]() A male struggling to swallow a large fish. |
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![]() A male with a captured fish speared on its long sharp bill. |
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![]() Male returning to nest, greeted by female sitting on eggs. Both sexes incubate; male was returning to relieve female at incubating. At times, as shown below, both sexes are in nest during incubation. |
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