Australasian Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae) lives in freshwater wetlands across Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Australasian Darter
- Its feathers trap water between the barbs, reducing its natural buoyancy. This adaptation lets the bird keep only its head and neck above the surface while it pursues prey beneath the water. By soaking its plumage the darter can dive and swim underwater more efficiently than birds with air-filled feathers. The reduced buoyancy is essential for its foraging style in freshwater and brackish wetlands.
- The Australasian darter weighs about 2.6 kg, a solid heft for a waterbird. Its body stretches 86-94 cm long, giving it a long, slender profile with a snakelike neck. This size and weight support its habit of swimming with only the head exposed while hunting fish in depths over half a metre. The combination of mass and length also aids its ability to glide underwater with reduced buoyancy.
- DNA studies found the darter differs from the African A. rufa as much as other recognised species differ from each other. Genetic analysis showed this level of divergence, prompting scientists to treat the Australasian darter as a separate species. The findings also clarified that the three Old World darters are more closely related to each other than to the American species. This taxonomic shift reflects its distinct evolutionary lineage.
- During the breeding season the darter builds a large, wide, dish-shaped nest of sticks lined with reeds, leaves and rushes, usually in the branches of a partly submerged tree over water. It often places this platform within colonies of cormorants, where the nests can be recognised by their greater size and the absence of the dark guano that coats the surrounding cormorant nests.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeAustralia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea
HabitatFreshwater wetlands
DietFish and crustaceans
About the Australasian Darter
In the sun-drenched wetlands of Australia, the Australasian Darter glides effortlessly, its sleek, serpentine body slicing through the water with barely a ripple, as it pursues its aquatic prey with stealthy precision. With its striking black and white plumage glistening like polished onyx, this majestic bird moves through its realm with a quiet confidence, its long, slender neck coiled and ready to strike. As it emerges from the depths, it rises like a dark, avian specter, shaking its feathers with a soft, rustling whisper, a fleeting glimpse of a creature perfectly adapted to its domain.
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Australasian Darter photographed on Feravox
