Tupi-Sprache
The genus "Anhinga" was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the anhinga or American darter ("Anhinga anhinga") as the type species. "Anhinga" is derived from the Tupi "ajíŋa" (also transcribed "áyinga" or "ayingá"), which in local mythology refers to a malevolent demonic forest spirit; it is often translated as "devil bird". The name changed to "anhingá" or "anhangá" as it was transferred to the Tupi–Portuguese Língua Geral. However, in its first documented use as an English term in 1818, it referred to an Old World darter. Ever since, it has also been used for the modern genus "Anhinga" as a whole.