Giles wrote:
Anyone else from Oz think these 'anhingas' look an awful lot like shags
or
cormorants?
--------------------------------------------------
Anhingas and cormorants are closely related. Both are of the order
Pelecaniformes (which includes pelicans). Cormorants are of the family
Phalacrocoracidae and anhingas of the family Anhingidae (also known as
darters).
The American anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) is found along the US Atlantic
coast states from South Carolina through Florida and then along the gulf
coast to Texas.
Anhingas have VERY long necks and VERY, VERY sharp, straight beaks.
Unlike cormorants, anhingas hunt by using their beaks to impale fish.
They then return to the surface, snap their heads to throw the fish off
the beak and into the air and then catch it for swallowing. It makes
for a very interesting show.
Chuck Norcutt
Woburn, Massachusetts (where there are no anhingas :( )
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