The darter bird, a creature of elegance and grace, glides effortlessly through the water with its slender body and long, pointed beak. With its streamlined form, it seems almost designed for the water, where it spends much of its time hunting for its prey.
As it swims, the darter bird’s feathers become almost translucent, allowing the sun to filter through and illuminate the shimmering scales of the fish it hunts. It moves with a silent fluidity, diving beneath the surface and emerging again in a flurry of water droplets.
| Serial Number | Characteristic | Description |
| 1 | Common name | Oriental Darter |
| 2 | Scientific name | Anhinga melanogaster |
| 3 | Colour | Dark feathers with white or silver wings |
| 4 | Average length in cms | 75-91 cm for Anhinga anhinga, up to 120 cm for Anhinga melanogaster |
| 5 | Average weight in grams | 1000-1500 g for Anhinga anhinga, up to 2500 g for Anhinga melanogaster |
| 6 | Type of bird | Waterbird, specifically a darter or anhinga |
| 7 | Found in | Tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, including the Africa, Asia |
| 8 | Habitat | Freshwater wetlands, including swamps, rivers, and lakes |
| 9 | Status | Least Concern |
Features
The darter bird is a long and slender species of bird, with a distinct physical appearance that sets it apart from other water birds. It can grow up to 85 centimeters in height, with a wingspan of around 120 centimeters, making it a relatively large bird compared to others in its family.
One of the most striking features of the darter bird is its long, thin neck, which it uses to great effect when hunting for fish underwater. Its beak is also long and pointed, perfect for spearing fish with great accuracy. Its wings are broad and powerful, enabling it to fly with ease and maneuver through the water with agility.
The darter bird’s feathers are predominantly a rich, deep shade of green, with hints of blue and purple shimmering in the sunlight. The feathers on its head and neck are a darker shade of green than those on the rest of its body, giving it a distinctive appearance. Its underbelly and throat are a pale cream color, providing a beautiful contrast to the deep greens of its body.
While the darter bird’s body is relatively small and compact, its long neck and wings make it appear longer than it actually is. It has a streamlined shape that allows it to move swiftly and gracefully through the water, making it an impressive sight to behold.
Habitat and Food
The darter bird is a water bird that is commonly found in freshwater habitats such as swamps, marshes, and lakes in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. They are known for their unique ability to swim and dive underwater, using their long necks and sharp beaks to hunt for fish, crustaceans, and other small aquatic creatures.
Darter birds prefer to live in quiet, secluded areas where the water is calm and free from disturbance. They often nest in the branches of trees overhanging the water, using their long wings to maneuver through the dense foliage.
The trees they choose for nesting are often located close to their hunting grounds, allowing them to easily access the water below.
When hunting for food, the darter bird uses its long neck to search for fish swimming near the surface of the water. Once it has located its prey, it dives underwater and uses its sharp beak to spear the fish with great accuracy. The darter bird is capable of remaining underwater for extended periods, thanks to its ability to extract oxygen from the water.
Darter birds are primarily fish-eaters, but they are also known to consume other small aquatic creatures such as crayfish, snails, and insects. They are adept hunters and can catch fish that are much larger than their own body size.
Nesting and Nurturing
Darter birds are known for their unique nesting habits, which are adapted to their aquatic lifestyle. They typically build their nests in the branches of trees overhanging the water, using sticks, twigs, and leaves to create a sturdy platform for their eggs. The nests are often located in quiet, secluded areas where the water is calm and free from disturbance.
Darter birds typically lay between two to four eggs, which are a pale blue-green color and have a smooth, matte surface. The eggs are laid at intervals of a few days, and both parents take turns incubating the eggs, which typically hatch after a period of around 21 to 25 days.
Once the eggs have hatched, the parents are very attentive to their young, providing them with food and protection. The chicks are born with a downy covering of feathers and are able to walk and swim almost immediately. They remain in the nest for several weeks after hatching, during which time they are fed regurgitated food by their parents.
As the chicks grow, they become more independent and are able to venture out of the nest and begin learning to hunt for their own food. The parents continue to care for their young for several months, teaching them how to swim, hunt, and survive in their aquatic environment.
IUCN Status
The darter bird, also known as the anhinga, is classified as a species of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This means that the species is not currently at significant risk of extinction, although there may be localized threats to certain populations or habitats.
The darter bird has a wide distribution across tropical and subtropical regions, and is generally not considered to be threatened by habitat loss or degradation. However, like many aquatic species, it may be vulnerable to pollution, hunting, or disturbance from human activities in some areas.
