Male: Almost entirely glossy black. Head, marked with white stripes below eye, extending along side of neck and fringing chin. Naked skin around eye and on chin, yellow. Front of neck, black with rusty-brown patch decreasing with age. Upper wing coverts, grey-buff streaks. Eye, brown, orange or yellow. Bill, brown above, yellow below. Feet and webbing, cream to grey-brown.
Female: Generally grey-brown above, white or pale buff below. Stripe on side of head has dark edges. Upper wing-coverts, striped pale grey, forming a patch. During courtship upper mandible and tip of lower become light green in both sexes. Feet, become cream-white.
Immatures: Similar to female but stripe on head not as distinct. Wing covets, shorter and less clearly marked. Naked skin around eye and throat pale yellow to orange. Legs and feet, pink, grey, light brown or dark brown.
Downy Young: Naked but covered with pale buff down within several days. Eye, black. Eye-ring, white. Bill, pink, black inside. Feet, white.
Other Names (World)
Australasian Darter, Australian Darter, Darter, Oriental Darter, Snake-bird, Diver, Shag, Needle-beaked Shag
Voice
Clicking sounds away from nest. During nesting harsh rolling 'kah' repeated upto 15 times, decreasing in volume after a few calls, more rapid and harsh in male than female. Explosive pre-mating 'khaah' by male, and 'tjeeu' by female. 'krrr-kururah' in or near nesting tree as well as hissing sound emitted by adults and immatures perhaps as threat.
Australasian Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae) [XC172080]
by Marc Anderson from Kakadu National Park (near Kakadu), Northern Territory, Australia (call)
Australasian Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae) [XC185352]
by Drew Davison from Terranora, New South Wales, Australia (call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Mainly Spring and Summer but birds may be found every month.
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Nest
A substantial platform of twigs and sticks, covered with green brachlets which droop over the sides, placed in a low tree over hanging or standing in water. Nests may be used for several years.
Eggs (Guide)
Usually 4, sometimes 5 or 6; chalky white tinged with green; oblong-oval to pyriform; 53 - 64 x 35 - 43 mm. Incubation: 26 - 30 days; by both sexes.
Young
Fledge in about 50 days.
Subspecies
Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster) rather than full species.
Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster), Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae) and African Darter (Anhinga rufa) are considered separate species by BirdLife International contra Christidis and Boles (1994), Turbott (1990), Cramp and Simmons (1977-1994), Vol. I and AERC TAC (2003), who all include rufa and novaehollandiae as subspecies of Anhinga melanogaster.
Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster).
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
papua Rand, 1938 - New Guinea.
novaehollandiae (Gould, 1847) - Australia to Lesser Sundas, Moluccas and New Guinea. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster).
Similar Species
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), but has a heavier, hooked bill, yellow throat pouch.
References
See References.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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