anhinga

English - English

Definition of anhinga in English English dictionary

A fish-eating bird, Anhinga anhinga, from North America having a thin, pointed bill and long, thin neck

fish-eating bird of warm inland waters having a long flexible neck and slender sharp-pointed bill

An aquatic bird of the southern United States (Platus anhinga); the darter, or snakebird

{i} large swimming and diving fish-eating bird of tropical and subtropical America

or snakebird Any fish-eating bird of the family Anhingidae (order Pelecaniformes), sometimes considered a single species (Anhinga anhinga) with geographical variants. Anhingas are about 35 in. (90 cm) long, slender, and long-necked. They are mostly black, with silvery wing markings. Males, glossed with green, develop pale head plumes and a dark "mane" in breeding season. Anhingas live in small colonies along lakes and rivers in tropical to warm temperate regions except in Europe. They swim nearly submerged; the head and neck show above water, darting snakelike from side to side

Related Terms

genus anhinga

type genus of the Anhingidae

Hyphenation

an·hin·ga

Synonyms

snakebird, snake-bird, darter, american darter, water turkey