Darter

For the genus of fish also known as darters see Etheostoma

Anhinga anhinga
Anhinga melanogaster
Anhinga rufa
Anhinga novaehollandiae

Australian Darter on the Murray River, South Australia

Darters are cormorant-like water birds with very long necks and long, straight beaks. They often swim with only the neck above water, and are fish-eaters.

There are either two or four closely-related species in the darter family, Anhingidae. The Anhinga of the Americas (Anhinga anhinga) is clearly individual, the Indian, African, and Australian darters can be regarded as either three very similar species, or a single species with three widely separated subspecies (A. melanogaster melanogaster, A. melanogaster rufa and A. melanogaster novaehollandiae). In either case, all four share very similar behaviour and habitat.

This group is related to other Pelecaniformes as below:

ORDER PELECANIFORMES

• Family Pelecanidae: pelicans
• Family Sulidae: gannets and boobies
• Family Phalacrocoracidae: cormorants
• Family Fregatidae: frigatebirds
• Family Phaethontidae: tropicbirds
• Family Anhingidae
  • Anhinga, Anhinga anhinga
  • Oriental Darter, Anhinga melanogaster
  • African Darter, Anhinga rufa
  • Australian Darter , Anhinga novaehollandiae

There is also an extinct species from Mauritius known only from bones, the Mauritian Darter, Anhinga nanus.

The Anhinga is native to the Americas. The Indian Darter is widespread eastwards from the Indian sub-continent to Indonesia, and differs in appearance from African and American darters most recognisably by its white lateral neck stripe.

The African Darter occurs in tropical sub-Saharan Africa, and differs in appearance from Indian and American Darter most recognisably by its thin white lateral neck stripe against a rufous background colour.