A female anhinga roosts in branches near the water.

A female anhinga roosts in branches near the water. Anhingas can be found in freshwater ponds and swamps where there is thick vegetation and tall trees. Male anhingas are black and gray; females are distinguished by a buff-colored neck and breast. When anhingas are in their breeding plumage they have a blue ring around their eyes, as seen here. The female lays three to five light blue eggs. The nest is in a tree and it is made of sticks and lined with leaves. The chicks hatch in about a month. Anhingas breed off the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina to Texas and in the Mississippi Valley north to Kentucky and Missouri. They winter along the Gulf Coast north to North Carolina. The anhinga diet is primarily fish. Using their sharp bills, anhingas spear the fish, flip them in the air and swallow them head-first. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island Wildlife Nature Refuge. The refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the Refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis