Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderSuliformes (Gannets, Cormorants, and Allies)
- FamilyAnhingidae (Darters)
- GenusAnhinga (Darters)
- SpeciesAnhinga anhinga (Anhinga)
In 3 days ~10%
About the 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.
Members of the Anhinga genus live in warm, shallow waters and swamplands worldwide. Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Anhinga in Chagres National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Campinas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 7 | Guayaquil | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 8 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Caracas | 🇻🇪 Venezuela |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Audubon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Gatorland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Bali Bird Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
Closest Relatives at Chagres National Park
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing an Anhinga in Chagres National Park?
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Anhinga sighting in Chagres National Park on a given day, based on 33 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 253rd most-seen of the 372 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see an Anhinga in Chagres National Park?
January
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Anhinga in Chagres National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February to December, the lowest months. That is one of Chagres National Park's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain against 300 mm in July.
What time of day is best to see an Anhinga?
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Anhinga sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Chagres National Park the best place to see an Anhinga?
39th of 50
Of the 50 parks where we can rate Anhinga sightings, Chagres National Park ranks 39th at under 5%. The best odds are in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas (Brazil, about 90%), Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 70%) and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (United States, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Where does the Anhinga sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Anhinga is recorded against all the birds logged in Chagres National Park (33 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.