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, white with black spots 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: As male but lacks black spots on throat.
Other Names (World)
Oriental Darter (melanogaster), Indian Darter (melanogaster), African Darter (rufa), Australian Darter (novaehollandiae), Snakebird
Population
Estimated population is 11,000 (2010) and decreasing.
Status NT
Habitat loss, by degradation of foraging areas and felling of breeding trees, pollution, disturbance, at feeding and breeding grounds, and hunting are the main threats.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Food
Fish and aquatic animals.
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.
Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster) [XC311148]
by Peter Boesman from Tissamaharama area, Sri Lanka (call)
Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster) [XC756478]
by Stuart Fisher from Hindhede Park, Singapore, Singapore (call)
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
Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster), Australasian 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.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
melanogaster Pennant, 1769 - India to Philippines and Sulawesi.
rufa (Daudin, 1802) - Subsaharan Africa, Madagascar, Near East. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, African Darter (Anhinga rufa).
vulsini Bangs, 1918 - Madagascar. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of African Darter (Anhinga rufa).
novaehollandiae (Gould, 1847) - Australia to Lesser Sundas, Moluccas and New Guinea. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Australasian Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae).
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
BirdLife International Species Factsheet