snakebird

[ sneyk-burd ]

noun

1. anhinga.

snakebird

/ ˈsneɪkˌbɜːd /

noun

1. another name for darter

Word History and Origins

Origin of snakebird¹

An Americanism dating back to 1785–95; snake + bird

Example Sentences

Its long neck resembles a snake ready to strike when the Anhinga - also called a snakebird - is swimming.

From Seattle Times

The heron, the snakebird, and the redshank, waded through the shallow drifts; and geese, widgeon, teal, and mallard, rose whirring in the air at every step.

From Project Gutenberg

In Plotus, the snakebird, the pyloric chamber of the stomach is beset with a mass of hair-like stiff filaments which permit nothing but fluid to pass into the duodenum.

From Project Gutenberg