Editing Anhinga (section)

==Description==
The anhinga is a large bird, measuring approximately {{convert|89|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length (with a range of {{convert|75|-|95|cm|in|abbr=on}}), with a {{convert|1.14|m|ft|abbr=on}} wingspan.<ref name=Sibley/><ref name=Cornell/> The ''A. a. anhinga'' subspecies is larger than ''A. a. leucogaster'' and has broader buffy tail tips.<ref name=Blake/> They weigh on average around {{convert|1.22|kg|lbs|abbr=on}}, with a range of {{convert|1.04|-|1.35|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name= Cornell/><ref name=Maehr/><ref name=Hennemann1985/> The bill is relatively long (about twice the length of the head), sharply pointed, and yellow, and the webbed feet are yellow as well.<ref name=Robbins/><ref name=Audubon/><ref name=Sibley/><ref name=Maehr/>

The male is glossy black-green, including its wings and the base of its wings, while its tail is glossy black-blue.<ref name=Audubon/> The tip of the tail is white.<ref name=Wood/> The back of the head and the neck have elongated feathers that have been described as gray<ref name=Chapman/> or light purple-white.<ref name=Audubon/> The upper back of the body and wings are spotted or streaked with white.<ref name=Chapman/>

The female anhinga is similar to the male except for its pale gray-buff<ref name=Burton/> or light brown<ref name=Gregware/> head, neck, and upper chest. The lower chest or breast is a chestnut color, and the back is browner than the male's.<ref name=Fjeldsa/>
[[File:Anhinga anhinga 2zz.jpg|left|thumb|Skeleton, showing the unusual eighth cervical vertebra.]]
The hatchling starts bald but gains tan down within a few days of hatching. Within two weeks, the tan down is replaced by white down. Three weeks after hatching, the first juvenile feathers appear. Juveniles are mostly brown until they first breed, usually after the second or third winter.<ref name=Nellis/>

This bird is often mistaken for the [[double-crested cormorant]] due to its similar size and shape, although the two species can be differentiated by their tails and bills. The tail of the anhinga is wider and much longer than the cormorant's. The bill of the anhinga is pointed, while the bill of the cormorant has a hook-tip.<ref name=Peterson/>

Like other species in the genus, anhingas have a noticeable "kink" midway up their necks. This is due to the peculiar morphology of the eighth cervical vertebra.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Garrod |first=A. H. |date=1876 |title=1. Notes on the Anatomy of Plotus anhinga. |url=https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1876.tb02572.x |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |language=en |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=335–345 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.1876.tb02572.x |issn=1469-7998}}</ref>