From Opus

Alternative name: Snakebird

Australian Darter / novaehollandiae
Photo by Neil

Anhinga melanogaster

Includes African Darter; Australian Darter; Oriental Darter

[edit] Identification

An 80 cm tall cormorant-like species with a very long neck. The male is mainly glossy black with white streaking, but females and immature birds are browner.

African Darter / rufa
Photo by wim de groot (Gambia)

[edit] African Darter / rufa

The African Darter differs in appearance from others most recognizably by its thin white lateral neck stripe against a rufous background colour. The bird pictured is a male; the female has a paler brown neck, with the white stripe fainter or completely absent.

[edit] Oriental Darter / melanogaster

White lateral neck stripe.

[edit] Distribution

Australia, southern half of Africa, Madagascar, Iraq, Pakistan, India, south-east Asia, Indonesia and New Guinea.

Oriental Darter / melanogaster
Photo by Joe Pan

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

• A. m. rufa (African):

• Africa south of the Sahara and Middle East

• A. m. vulsini:

• Madagascar

• A. m. melanogaster (Oriental):

• India to south-eastern Asia, Malay Archipelago and Philippine Islands

• A. m. novaehollandiae (Australasian):

• Australia to Lesser Sundas, Moluccas and New Guinea

[edit] Habitat

[edit] African Darter / rufa

It occurs in both saline and fresh water, especially near mangroves.

[edit] Oriental Darter / melanogaster

Clean fresh water in lakes and big rivers.

[edit] Behaviour

Often swims with only the neck above water.

[edit] Diet

They spear their prey (mainly fish but also other aquatic animals e.g. snakes, frogs, crustaceans etc.) underwater as they swim along.

[edit] Breeding

This species builds a stick nest in a tree and lays 3-6 eggs. It often nests with herons, egrets and cormorants.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Birdsinbackyards

• List of references

[edit] External Links