TheAfrican darter(Anhinga rufa), sometimes called thesnakebird,is a water bird ofsub-Saharan AfricaandIraq.[1]
| African darter | |
|---|---|
| |
| inBotswana | |
Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Suliformes |
| Family: | Anhingidae |
| Genus: | Anhinga |
| Species: | A. rufa
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| Binomial name | |
| Anhinga rufa (Daudin,1802)
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| |
| Distribution map | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Anhinga africana | |
Taxonomy
editThe African darter is a member of the darter family,Anhingidae,and is closely related toAmerican(Anhinga anhinga),Oriental(Anhinga melanogaster), andAustralasian(Anhinga novaehollandiae) darters.
Description
editThe African darter is 80 cm (31 in) long. Like other anhingas, it has a very long neck. The male is mainly glossy black with white streaking; females and immature birds are browner. The African darter differs in appearance from the American darter most recognisably by its thin white lateral neck stripe against a rufous background colour. The pointed bill prevents confusion with cormorants.
Distribution
editThe African darter is found throughoutsub-Saharan Africawherever large bodies of water occur; overall the species remains widespread and common.[1]
The only non-Africansubspecies,the Levant darter (Anhinga rufa chantrei), occurred atLake Amik(Amik Gölü) in south-central Turkey, in theHula Valleylake and marshes in northernIsraeland in theMesopotamian Marshesof the lowerEuphrates andTigrisrivers in southernIraq.The Turkish population disappeared during the 1930s and the Israeli population during the drainage of the Hula in the 1950s. InKhuzestan,110 birds were counted in 1990, but the subspecies was feared extinct as a result ofoil spillsduring theGulf Warand the drainage of the Mesopotamian Marshes that followed it.[2]However, a small population was documented in theHawizeh Marshesin 2007.[3]The drainage of the marshes was interrupted and reversed after theIraq War.[2]
Behavior
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This species builds a stick nest in a tree and lays 3–6 eggs. It often nests withherons,egretsandcormorants.
It often swims with only the neck above water, hence the common namesnakebird.This, too, is a habit shared with the other anhingas. It feeds on fish, which it catches by diving.
Unlike many other waterbirds the feathers of the African darter do not contain any oil and are therefore not waterproof. Because of this, the bird is less positively buoyant and its diving capabilities are enhanced. After diving for fish, the feathers can become waterlogged. In order to be able to fly and maintain heat insulation, it needs to dry its feathers. Thus the African darter is often seen sitting along the waterside spreading its wings and drying its feathers in the wind and the sun along with cormorants, which may share its habitat.
Gallery
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Bibliography
edit- Birds of The Gambiaby Barlow, Wacher and Disley,ISBN1-873403-32-1
- Birds of Southern Africaby Sinclair, Hockey, Tarboton,ISBN978-1-86872-721-6
References
edit- ^abcBirdLife International (2017)."Anhinga rufa".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2017:e.T22696705A110665322.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22696705A110665322.en.Retrieved12 November2021.
- ^abHume, J.P. (2017) Extinct Birds. Bloomsbury Publishing, 560 pages.
- ^Abed, J.M. (2007).Status of Water Birds in Restored Southern Iraqi Marshes.Marsh Bulletin 2(1): 64-79.
External links
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- (African) darter -Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.