Oriental darter

Tropical South and Southeast Asia are home to the darter (Anhinga melanogaster), a water bird. it hunts fish with its body submerged in water. It has a long, slender neck and a straight, pointed bill. A fish is speared underwater, raised to the surface, tossed and juggled, and then swallowed head first. As it swims, the body stays underwater, and just the thin neck is visible above the water, hence the nickname “snakebird.” Its feathers are wettable and it frequently perches on a rock or branch with its wings spread wide to dry. Freshwater lakes and streams are the primary habitats of the darters.

Spreading Wings The Darter proudly displays its wings.

They typically hunt alone, moving their head and neck jerkily above the water while keeping the rest of their body submerged as they swim slowly forward with their webbed feet. Before consuming the fish head first, they dart their neck to impale the fish, then pull it out of the water and toss it into the air. They occasionally coexist with cormorants, which also spread their wings to dry while sitting on a tree or rock near the water. In regular flight, they alternate between flapping and gliding, but they occasionally soar on thermals during the warm portion of the day. They construct a stick platform atop the nest tree, often surrounded by water, in mixed-species heronries. Multiple pairs may nest near each other. Before placing the sticks that make up the nest platform, the birds flatten the branch.

Silent Hunter Darter’s reflection adds beauty to calm waters.

Posturing and neck thrusts are used to protect the nest places from other birds. The typical clutch has three to six bluish-green, spindle-shaped eggs with a white, powdery coating that becomes dirty with time. The young hatch asynchronously because both parents incubate the eggs, starting with the first egg deposited. Some down on the head covers the bare, freshly hatched chicks.

Steady Stance The Darter stands, eyes fixed ahead.

White down covers them as they get bigger. By pushing their heads down their parents’ throats, the chicks eat. After the breeding season, adults undergo a synchronized moult of their flight feathers, which temporarily impairs their ability to fly. During this time, they dive into the water below and try to escape underwater when disturbances occur on their perches. Chicks at the nest also use this escape behavior. Except at the nest, where they make croaks, groans, and the disyllabic chigi-chigi-chigi, they are incredibly quiet. When pleading for food, girls make a lot of noise. Adults share a roost in trees near or above bodies of water.

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