The anhinga is a large bird with a long S-shaped neck and a long pointed bill. The male has grayish-black feathers with a greenish shine to them. They have large wings with silver-white feathers on the top side.
Females have a light tan head, neck and chest and a black stomach.
Both the male and the female have long fan- shaped tail feathers and sometimes the anhinga is known as the water turkey. The anhinga has poorly developed oil glands and its feathers aren't as waterproof as other water birds are. It will perch in a tree with its wings open to dry its feathers and warm its body. Anhingas breed off the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina to Texas and in the Mississippi Valley north to Kentucky and Missouri. They winter along the Gulf Coast north to North Carolina.