Anhinga
AnhingaAnhingaAnhingaAnhinga

Anhinga

Anhinga anhinga

Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Celestún Biosphere Reserve
333 Verified sightings at Celestún Biosphere Reserve From 2019 to 2026
30,908 Verified sightings across all 70 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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. The American anhinga has been subdivided into two subspecies, A. a. anhinga and A. a. leucogaster, based on their respective location. A. a. anhinga can be found mainly east of the Andes in South America, east to the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. A... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Celestún Biosphere Reserve

Magnificent Frigatebird
LC

Magnificent Frigatebird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Fregata magnificens

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Double-crested Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phalacrocorax auritus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Bigua cormorant

Bigua cormorant

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phalacrocorax brasilianus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Brown Booby
LC

Brown Booby

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sula leucogaster

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Masked Booby
LC

Masked Booby

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sula dactylatra

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~70%
2 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~60%
3 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~60%
4 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
5 Noel Kempff Mercado National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~40%
6 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~40%
7 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~30%
8 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
9 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~20%
10 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
11 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
~20%
12 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
13 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
14 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
~10%
15 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
16 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
17 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
18 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
19 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
20 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
21 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
22 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
23 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
24 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
25 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
26 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
27 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
28 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
29 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
30 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
31 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
32 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
33 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
34 Cordillera Azul National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
35 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
36 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
37 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
38 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
39 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
40 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
41 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
42 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
43 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
44 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
45 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
46 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
47 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
48 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
49 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
50 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
51 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
52 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
53 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
54 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
55 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
56 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
57 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
58 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
59 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
60 Main Ridge Forest Reserve 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Insufficient data
61 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
62 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
63 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
64 Canaima National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
Insufficient data
65 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
66 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
67 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
Insufficient data
68 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
69 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
70 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Anhinga in Celestún Biosphere Reserve?

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Anhinga sighting in Celestún Biosphere Reserve, based on 333 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Anhinga in Celestún Biosphere Reserve?

January has the highest sighting rate for Anhinga in Celestún Biosphere Reserve in our monthly data.

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