Have You Seen This ‘Devil Bird’ in Upstate New York? They’re Coming!

Have you not heard? The "devil bird" is the word around New York state.

(Good luck getting that song out of your head now.)

In all seriousness, a species of bird that's earned the nickname devil bird and snake bird has been spotted recently in New York. One such bird was found in Brooklyn, while a small flock of them were all discovered in an Upstate town.

Here are the latest updates on the migration of the devil bird, and what you should know about this type of fowl as it heads north.

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What to Know About the Devil Bird, Which Was Spotted in New York

First, the most important part of the story: no, you are not in any danger, whether you're religious or not.

The name "devil bird" is actually one of the translations of the real name of the bird in-question, the anhinga. The name was given by the Tupi Indians in Brazil, and roughly translates to “devil bird” or “evil spirit of the woods," according to a story done by The Cool Down.

The name was given to the bird by the Tupi people because of its peculiar head and neck shape, which is said to resemble a snake. Hence, the largely-harmless species of bird gets to live with this unfortunate nickname for the rest of time.

The Cool Down reported that the bird was seen in Brooklyn recently, the first confirmed sighting of the devil bird in New York City since 1992. Another birdwatcher claimed they saw a small group of anhinga gathered together in a rural location around Rome, New York.

Birdwatching experts have asserted that this strange migration pattern was likely caused by climate change, and that more anhinga birds could relocate to this area in the near future. The birds are typically found in South America, while its other subspecies (the leucogaster) is often found in Mexico, Cuba and the southern United States.

Unfortunately, the climate will likely continue to rise in these areas, meaning that the anhinga will need another place to live. Luckily, the birds present no danger to humans, because more "devil birds" are likely on their way to New York soon.

Scroll below to see more photos of the anhinga.