This bird is often seen standing around with its wings held out like this. Why?
Answer:
This is an Anhinga, sometimes called a Snake Bird or Water Turkey. To make it easier for them to swim underwater, their feathers lack waterproofing oils. This lets them soak up water to make the bird less buoyant. It also causes them to lose a lot of body heat, so they spread their wings in the sun to warm up. It also lets their feathers dry, but regaining heat is more important.
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