Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Anhinga or Cormorant

Hurricanes and wildlife - beamed into the farm a saw a critter that I am very familiar with down here but don't recall in my decades in TOO.

The only logical thing I can guess - besides he's eating my fish - is that he's blown way outa his how range.

I'm assuming it's a fairly rare sighting but regardless it's first of it's species on the farm.
Anhinga





[video:youtube][/video]

Damn!!!

I didn't think we got those this far north!!

Not good!

Is that drone footage?

You sure it wasn't a double crested cormorant (aka Water Turkey)? We get those in Ahia - I had one here briefly last year.

Did it say 'hello' to your little friend?

I saw one of these for the first time at one of my ponds a few weeks back. They apparently are seen at Goose Pond in Indiana as well.

AKA cormorants and water turkeys

Aren’t anhinga and cormorants a separate species? Had one last week and one today. Today’s had white on it which makes me think anhinga female.... curious if they are separate species

This from Univ of FL: The best way to tell if a bird in question is a cormorant or anhinga is to use their beaks. Anhingas use their long, straight, pointed beak to spear their prey. Cormorants, on the other hand, use their hooked bills to grab their prey. Both species hunt their prey by submerging themselves underwater.J

Seems you have to be from Ahia to know the difference.....

We knows all kinds of things.

Problem Bill is you have to be real close (lol) to see the difference.......

Thanks guys - I had to go do a lil digging but in this case it was worth it - It was is Double Crested Cormorant - not the Anhinga.

He was still eating my fish....


- Slender, long-necked with a straight, pointy bill, wearing a snazzy jacket = Anhinga.


- Shorter necked , hooked, curved and orange bill, wearing basic black = Cormorant!




------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you would like to learn more about these birds visit:

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology – All About Birders: Anhinga
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology – All About Birders: Double-crested Cormorant

If you're lucky, you may even find a Cramorant.



It's funny, because I started playing Pokémon with my son again, and when I came across this one, I was like, "Hey! I know where they got its name from!" Before getting into the pond world, I never would've known this.

Open season on the cormorant in our ponds in Ontario Canada.

They can eat well over their body weight in fish per day and their waste is like battery acid.

Cheers Don.

Unfortunately they are protected in the US......

Why? I don't see any good from them.

We do lot's of stupid stuff down here, Dono!!!

Tell me about it!



They could be protected on public water, not private water, and there would still be millions and millions of them.

They are not very smart - this one thought it was a beaver.

Makes me want to set out lots of, uh, beaver traps.