PB Cormorant

[Capt. Jack]

My wife and I made a trip out to the Withlacoochee River in Dunellon over the weekend. I've seen hundreds of these birds and they are typically very skittish. This particular "water turkey", as my FIL refers to them, was anything but.

[DirksFishin]

He figures hell why run from the things I get free fish from. The easy life. I've had them follow me in my kayak before they're sneaky.

[Tide1on]

How'd it taste?

I'm sorry! I couldn't help myself. I'll go stand in the corner now.

[sfurman]

The “water turkey” AKA “snake bird” is an Anhinga, I have another name for those things.

[DirksFishin]

I thought that was a Cormorant?

[saltwater_cowboy]

Anhinga bill is straight as an arrow while a Cormorant's bill has the hook downward at the end. I'm sure there are more differences, but that's the easiest to spot first for me.

[sfurman]

Anhingas are called water turkeys because of their large fan tail or snake bird because of when they swim only their head and neck is above the water and it looks like a snake. However, I just looked them up using the ever popular and of course totally accurate Google and it appears as though Capt. Jack is not the only one calling the cormorant a water turkey. In all my life I have always known the anhinga as a water turkey, shows what I know I guess.

That bird is definitely a cormorant. They are just plain ugly. And even though the turkey head is kinda ugly there is no similarity between the two birds that I can see, maybe someone can enlighten me. All those crazy smily faces and no turkey??