Just a further word on this, as there are a lot of these spectacular birds in the local
area at the moment. The complete bird is on the left. They are
pretty good tree-perchers, equipped with sharp claws for the purpose.
When they move along a slender branch, they need to turn those great feet
inwards, as here. The effect is rather of a bird performing the
Charleston. I wouldn’t expect everyone on this chatline to know
what a Charleston is, not that I can do it myself although my wife is quite
good at it. Ask your parents, or maybe grandparents, if you want to
know. According to Gill & Wright, of the Anhingas we now only
have a ‘Darter’ (Africa, Asia, Australia) and an
‘Anhinga’ (N & L America). As the American bird does
occur in Charleston, South Carolina, I checked to see whether Audubon had
painted his watercolour there, as he did some others, but in fact he painted this species in New Orleans. The
reproduction, background filled in by the engraver, is at the right.
Incidentally he called it a ‘Water Turkey’, possibly to help sales
of his shot birds at the poulterers in the Old Quarter market. For
myself, I’d rather take my fish straight, perhaps a fillet of Cajun
Blackened Redfish, lose the drizzled collard greens.
