About the Oriental Darter
The Oriental darter is a water bird of tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia. It has a long and slender neck with a straight, pointed bill and, like the cormorant, it hunts for fish while its body is submerged in water. It spears a fish underwater, bringing it above the surface, tossing and juggling it before swallowing the fish head first. The body remains submerged as it swims, and the slender neck alone is visible above the water, which accounts for the colloquial name of snakebird. Like the cormorants, it has wettable feathers and it is often found perched on a rock or branch with its wings held open to dry.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
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.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in China, Botswana, Philippines.
When to see it
Peak activity in January · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Australasian DarterAnhinga novaehollandiaeThe Australasian darter is a slim bird measuring 86–94 cm (34–37 in) long with a snakelike slender neck.
African DarterAnhinga rufaThe African darter is 80 cm (31 in) long.
AnhingaAnhinga anhingaThe anhinga is a large bird, measuring approximately 89 cm (35 in) in length (with a range of 75–95 cm (30–37 in)), with a 1.14 m (3.7 ft) wingspan.
Side by side: Anhinga vs Oriental Darter · Australasian Darter vs Oriental Darter · African Darter vs Oriental Darter
Learn the Oriental Darter for real
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