Notes on the Breeding Behavior of the Anhinga

ITTLE information has been published on the breeding activities of the L Anhinga (Anhinga arzhinga) in spite of its rather common occurrence in many places in the warmer parts of the United States. The literature on behavior and life history of this species has been limited to accounts of a few isolated observations. Th e present paper reports some behavior not previously presented in the literature, and it is hoped that this information will be of value in further behavior studies of this species. These observations were facilitated by the convenient location of a nesting area at Lake Alice, which adjoins the southwestern portion of the University of Florida campus in Gainesville. The easy accessibility of the area, along with the occurrence there of a breeding colony composed of nearly a dozen water bird species, makes it a valuable location for field work, especially in behavior. Behavior of pair formation was the primary subject of study, although comments have been included on other activities. Behavioral sequences have been generalized from observations of many birds in various stages of reproductive activity at Lake Alice during the breeding season of 1959.