Rare bird sighted in Boulder County

State of play: This is only the fourth recorded sighting of an anhinga in Colorado and the first in more than two decades, Peter Gent of Colorado Field Ornithologists told the Post.

• Birders told the Post the last documented anhinga sighting was at Barr Lake State Park in 2003. The previous sightings were in Aurora in 1927 and along Coal Creek in what is now Broomfield County in 1931.

The intrigue: Experts are unsure why or how the anhinga landed in Boulder County.

• The anhinga is most often seen in Florida, Texas, the mid-Atlantic and southeast U.S., according to the National Audubon Society.
• Birds can wind up in Colorado after major storms, while climate change can also impact bird behavior, Gent told the Post.

What's next: Scott Taylor, director of the University of Colorado's Mountain Research Station, told CPR the bird likely won't stick around unless it finds a mate.

• Taylor said the nearest breeding ground for anhingas is in Oklahoma.
• "Anhingas are just really charismatic and weird, so I'd encourage people to go out and try to see it if they can," Taylor said.