A bird native to South America and the southern United States was spotted for the first time in Maine in a small pond in the Lincoln County town of Somerville last week.
At least 80 people were able to go and take a look at the anhinga, which has a resemblance to the double-crested cormorant, said Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox. The water bird is also known by the nickname “snakebird” for the way its serpentine neck sticks out of the water while it hunts.
A photo of the bird was first posted on the MAINE Wildlife Facebook page on July 23. The young female was last seen at the Somerville pond on Friday, though Hitchcox said local residents had been seeing it in the area for a month.
The sighting of a southern bird so far north is following a trend of birds moving further and further north as the climate warms, Hitchcox said, though he can’t say for sure that more anhingas will move into the area. In another example, a black vulture was rescued on MDI in January.
“Who knows when we might ever see another anhinga up here?” Hitchcox said. “But we’ve got one.”
The anhinga was likely born in the South last year and moved up to Maine looking for food with less competition, Hitchcox said. Though their native range tops out in Arkansas, he said more anhingas have been spotted in the Northeast, with some nesting as far north as Maryland.
Anhingas are related to the double-crested cormorant, a waterbird that’s more familiar to Mainers because its range extends all the way up to Alaska. Both species have feathers that are not waterproof, so they can absorb water and swim as they hunt. The tradeoff is that they must often stand out of the water for periods of time with their wings spread wide to dry.
However, the anhingas have long tails and straight beaks, as opposed to the cormorant’s which are hooked. The individual spotted in Maine also has a very clear demarcation across its breast, Hitchcox said.
For those looking to record a sighting of the rare waterbird, Hitchcox recommended taking a photo, as that’s the only way Maine Audubon can confirm that it was an anhinga. He also said that, if possible, birders should coordinate their trips to see it, to keep crowds from forming.
If you took a photo of the anhinga and would like to share it or confirm the sighting with Maine Audubon, email [email protected].
