Anhinga

This long-necked "snake bird" is found in wooded swamps, marshes, and ponds. Males are black with white on wing; females similar but with brownish neck and head.
Dives underwater and spears fish with dagger-like bill.
Often swims with only its head and neck out of water.
Like cormorants, Anhinga perches out in the open to spread wings and dry its feathers. Similar shape to cormorants but even longer-tailed with a more sharply pointed instead of a hook bill.
Occasionally soars.



Today was a great day for a large fish lunch!

Amazing that this Anhinga could swallow this fish whole, it was a while happening, but successful in the end!

I believe it is Suckermouth Catfish (Hypostoma plecostomus) that it had caught.
Plecostomus, pleco, or plec is the common nameof several freshwater catfish commonly sold as aquarium fish.
"Plecos" are often used in aquariums to clean algae of the glass.

If they get too big some people then dumped them into lakes! Apparently they may grow to a good size in the wild!

Watch a Slide Show!
Manual Slide Show!

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