Big Gulp

A female anhinga swallows its catch. Anhingas are one of the most interesting birds in the Everglades. Unlike ducks and other waterbirds, they submerge their bodies completly and swim stealthily looking for fish to catch. They consume the smaller fish by sticking their heads out of the water and flipping the fish right into their awaiting beaks. Ocassionally they will catch a fish so large that they need to come to dry land to swallow it.

In this case this female anhinga's beak was stuck firmly in the flesh of it’s prey and it took some doing to pry it loose. No matter how many times I witness an anhinga swallowing a large fish I can't help to be amazed by the sight.