The Anhinga — the "snakebird" of southern swamps — swims with only its slender neck above water and spears fish with a stiletto bill, then perches with wings spread to dry like a heraldic emblem. Its home is Florida and the Gulf states; in Michigan it is a genuine vagrant, recorded only a handful of times, usually as a soaring bird picked out by a sharp-eyed hawk-counter.
Unlike ducks, Anhingas lack waterproof plumage — an adaptation that lets them sink and stalk underwater but forces the sunning pose that makes them so distinctive. A Michigan sighting is most likely in late spring, when southern waterbirds occasionally overshoot northward, and any claim deserves careful documentation to rule out the similar Double-crested Cormorant.
Fish, speared sideways underwater with a partly opened bill, flipped into the air, and swallowed head-first — plus the occasional crayfish or amphibian.
Anhingas show a long fan-shaped tail, silvery-white wing panels, a dagger-straight pointed bill, and soar flat like a raptor. Cormorants have a hook-tipped bill, shorter tail, and rarely soar high. Photos are essential for a Michigan record.
Their feathers soak through by design — wettable plumage kills buoyancy so they can stalk fish underwater. The spread-wing pose dries and rewarms them afterward.
Only rarely — scattered, well-documented records exist, typically of soaring birds in spring. Any Michigan sighting is reportable news for the state's bird records committee.
Juveniles are buff-brown on the head, neck, and underparts rather than black, with the same long tail and dagger bill. Any Anhinga in Michigan is an extraordinary record at any age.
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