Lots of folks confuse these two water birds, it was interesting to see them side-by-side, watching one of each compete for the same space.
The immediate way to tell them apart is the Anhinga has a straight bill and the Cormorant’s is hooked.
The Anhinga won the first round of “King of the Hill.”
A few minutes later one of the Cormorants returned, showing off his feet as he looked to get closer to the stump.
An Ibis was on the scene, but had no interest in the competition.
Another view showing off the beak comparison.
The difference is clear to me now. I thinks we only have Cormorants here in Belgium.
It’s uncommon to see them together and was a neat experience.
I just checked the range map and Anhinga are in south eastern areas of the eastern US, throughout Central America, and much of South America.