Editing Anhinga (section)

==Behavior==
Anhingas swim underwater by kicking their [[Webbed foot|webbed feet]] to pursue their prey, fish or amphibians, which they spear by rapidly outstretching their bent neck. They come up to the surface to consume and swallow prey.<ref>Frederick, P. C. and D. Siegel-Causey (2000). Anhinga (''Anhinga anhinga''), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.      Pg 4-5 [[Digital object identifier|DOI]]: [https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/anhing/introduction 10.2173/bna.522]</ref> Unlike [[duck]]s, [[osprey]]s and [[pelican]]s, which coat their feathers with oils from the [[uropygial gland]], the anhinga does not have this ability; anhingas lack waterproof feathers on their bodies, causing them to be saturated upon immersion into water, while the flight feathers are slightly less wettable. Thus, their habit of basking in the sun with outstretched wings is crucial. Their dense bones, wetted plumage, and neutral [[buoyancy]] in water allow them to fully submerge and hunt for underwater prey.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/anhing/introduction |title=Anhinga - Introduction |work=Birds of North America Online |via= website: ''birdsna.org'' |language=en |access-date= 2018-12-08 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180605100521/https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/anhing/introduction|archive-date=2018-06-05 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rijke |first1=Arie M. |last2=Jesser |first2=William A. |last3=Mahoney |first3=Sheila A. |date=1989 |title=Plumage wettability of the African darter Anhinga melanogaster compared with the double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00306525.1989.9633739 |journal=Ostrich |language=en |volume=60 |issue=3 |pages=128–132 |doi=10.1080/00306525.1989.9633739 |bibcode=1989Ostri..60..128R |issn=0030-6525|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Anhingas cannot fly for any extended distance with soaked feathers; if they attempt to fly while wet, notable difficulty is experienced, the birds flapping vigorously while "running" on the water's surface for a short distance (often escaping a perceived threat).  Like [[cormorants]], anhingas perch and rest on fallen trees, logs or rocks near the water's edge with wings spread and feathers fanned-open in a semicircular shape, facing away from the sun, in order to dry themselves and absorb the sun's heat.<ref name=":1">Hennemann, Willard W. "[https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v084n01/p0091-p0096.pdf Energetics and Spread-Winged Behavior of Anhingas in Florida]" ''The Condor''84, no. 1 (1982): 91-96. [[JSTOR]] [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1367827 1367827]</ref>  Anhingas also lose body heat relatively fast, and their posture helps them absorb solar radiation from the sun to counteract this.<ref name=":1" /> Because an anhinga in the drying position resembles a male [[Turkey (bird)|turkey]], it has been colloquially referred to as the 'water turkey' or 'swamp turkey'.{{cn|date=December 2024}}