Bird Guide

Australasian Darter vs Oriental Darter

Australasian Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae)

Australasian Darter

Anhinga novaehollandiae

Large1.5 kgWetland

The Australasian darter is a slim bird measuring 86–94 cm (34–37 in) long with a snakelike slender neck. The male has black plumage with a white streak down the side of its head and neck, while the female has white underparts.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Martin Rady · CC BY 4.0
Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster)

Oriental Darter

Anhinga melanogaster

Large1.5 kgWetland

The Oriental darter is like all other anhingas, a cormorant-like species that has a very long neck. The structure of the neck is as in other species of darter with strongly developed muscles about a kink in the neck at the 8th and 9th vertebrae that allows it to be flexed and darted forward with rapid force to stab fish underwater. The edges of the commissures of the mandible tips have minute inward pointing serrations that hold impaled fish. The adult plumage above is black and the wing coverts and tertials having silvery streaks along the shaft.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Thorsten Hackbarth · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Australasian Darter and Oriental Darter.