Anhingas normally live in South America and along the Gulf of Mexico—but one of these long-necked creatures flew farther north than Portland
The out-of-place anhinga, spotted in Maine. Doug Hitchcox
Excerpt from this story from Smithsonian Magazine:
A large water bird usually found in Central and South America and Florida recently made its way to Maine—and birders have been flocking for a chance to see the unusual visitor.
Last week, wildlife enthusiasts were surprised to find an anhinga resting on a log in Somerville, a small town in the south-central part of the state about 70 miles northeast of Portland.
Anhingas are conspicuous birds with long, slender necks and turkey-like tails. Though their feathers are not waterproof, they spend much of their time swimming and stabbing fish with their pointy bills. When they resurface, they clamber onto sun-bathed logs, rocks and other places, spread their wings and let the warmth dry their plumage.
The species’ striking aesthetic and eye-catching poses have earned it several nicknames over the years, including “water turkey” and “snake bird.” (Some onlookers have even compared anhingas to the fictitious Loch Ness monster.) Their name comes from the Indigenous Tupi people of Brazil, who called them “devil birds” or “evil spirit of the woods.”
Anhingas live year-round in northern South America, Central America, Florida and Cuba, as well as along the coastlines hugging the Gulf of Mexico in the southern United States. During breeding season, their range extends northward along the Atlantic coast, but they rarely travel beyond Maryland. So, spotting one in Maine was “totally unexpected,” says Charles Duncan, a Maine birder and co-author of Birds of Maine, to the Portland Press Herald’s Ella Spitz.
