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The word anhinga comes from a'ñinga in the Brazilian Tupi language and means "devil bird" or "snake bird". [3] The origin of the name is apparent when swimming: only the neck appears above water, so the bird looks like a snake ready to strike. They do not have external nares (nostrils) and breathe solely through their epiglottis.
Most grebes fly, although some flightless species exist, most notably in stable lakes. The order contains a single family , the Podicipedidae , which includes 22 species in six extant genera . Although, superficially, they resemble other diving birds such as loons and coots , they are most closely related to flamingos , as supported by ...
Such birds may enter the water from flight, such as pelicans, gannets and tropicbirds; or they may dive from the surface of the water, such as the diving ducks, cormorants and penguins. It is theorized that they evolved from birds already adapted for swimming that were equipped with such adaptations as lobed or webbed feet for propulsion. [1]
The common murre is a pursuit-diver that forages for food by swimming underwater using its wings for propulsion. Dives usually last less than one minute, but the bird swims underwater for distances of over 30 m (100 ft) on a regular basis.
The European Anglophone name "diver" comes from the bird's habit of catching fish by swimming calmly along the surface and then abruptly plunging into the water. The North American name "loon" likely comes from either the Old English word lumme , meaning lummox or awkward person, or the Scandinavian word lum meaning lame or clumsy.
They shed the colorful outer parts of their bills after the breeding season, leaving a smaller and duller beak. Their short wings are adapted for swimming with a flying technique underwater. In the air, they beat their wings rapidly (up to 400 times per minute) [1] in swift flight, often flying low over the ocean's surface.
Young chicks may also be held under the wing and transported to safety by the parent bird in some species. [21] Young chicks dive underwater and stay submerged with only their bill out of water. Some adult jacanas also use the same technique. African jacanas go through a simultaneous moult of their flight feathers leading to a period of ...
The speed at which small fish (which along with krill are the auk's principal prey) can swim doubles as the temperature increases from 5 to 15 °C (41 to 59 °F), with no corresponding increase in speed for the bird. The southernmost auks, in California and Mexico, can survive there because of cold upwellings. The current paucity of auks in the ...