The anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) is a water bird related to cormorants and pelicans. The word anhinga comes from the Brazilian Tupi language and means "devil bird" or "snake bird". Anhingas are skillful swimmers with unique characteristics that help them when hunting for fish. Their feathers provide less buoyancy than ducks, so they are able to dive under the water, and swim with just their thin necks above the water, earning them the nickname of the "snake bird".
The anhinga is a large bird. Its bill is relatively long (about twice the length of the head), sharply pointed, and yellow, and the webbed feet are yellow as well. The male is a glossy black-green with the wings, base of wings, and tail a glossy black-blue. The tip of the tail is white. The back of the head and the neck have elongated feathers that have been described as gray or light purple-white. The upper back of the body and wings is spotted or streaked with white. The female anhinga is similar to the male except that it has a pale gray-buff or light brown head, neck, and upper chest. The lower chest or breast is a chestnut color, and the back is browner than that of the male. The hatchling starts out bald but gains tan down within a few days of hatching. Within two weeks the tan down is replaced by white down. Three weeks after hatching, the first juvenile feathers appear. Juveniles are mostly brown until they first breed usually after the second or third winter.
Anhingas live all year round in southwest coastal areas of the United States, from North Carolina to Texas. They are also found in Central America, Mexico, Panama, and Cuba, and in South America from Colombia to Ecuador, and in the east of the Andes to Argentina. Only birds that live in the extreme north and south of their range migrate and do so based on temperature and available sunlight. Anhingas will migrate towards the equator during winter but this range is "determined by the amount of sunshine to warm the chilled birds". Although not in their usual range, anhingas have been found as far north as the states of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in the United States. Anhingas live in tropical and subtropical areas. They prefer warm shallow waters that are fresh or brackish and can sometimes be found on coasts. They live near lakes, rivers, marshes, and mangrove swamps with tall trees and thick vegetation, and in shallow lagoons and bays.
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