Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderSuliformes
- FamilyAnhingidae (Darters)
- GenusAnhinga (Darters)
- SpeciesAnhinga anhinga (Anhinga)
The anhinga (; Anhinga anhinga), sometimes called darter, American darter, snakebird, or water turkey, is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. The word anhinga comes from a'ñinga in the Brazilian Tupi language and means "devil bird" or "snake bird". The origin of the name is apparent when swimming: only the neck appears above water, so the bird looks like a snake ready to strike. They do not have external nares (nostrils) and breathe solely through their epiglottis, via small opercula at the corners of the beak. The anhinga is placed in the darter family, Anhingidae, and is closely related to the Oriental (Anhinga melanogaster), African (Anhinga rufa), and Australasian (Anhinga novaehollandiae) darters. Like other darters, the anhinga hunts by spearing fish and other small prey using its sharp, slender beak. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Anhinga sighting in Congaree National Park, based on 147 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Congaree National Park
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Anhinga in Congaree National Park?
About 11% of wildlife watchers report a Anhinga sighting in Congaree National Park, based on 147 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Anhinga in Congaree National Park?
July has the highest sighting rate for Anhinga in Congaree National Park in our monthly data.