Australian Darter (Male)

Description:

The Australasian Darter or Australian Darter is a species of bird in the Darter family, Anhingidae. The Darter is a large, slim water bird with a long snake-like neck, sharp pointed bill, and long, rounded tail. They swim with their bodies submerged beneath the water’s surface, with only the sinuous neck protruding above the water, enhancing its serpentine qualities. Because of its long and slender neck, it's sometimes called the Snakebird. Darters forage by diving to depths of about 60 centimetres, and impaling fish with its sharp, spear-like beak. Small fish are swallowed underwater, but larger ones are brought to the surface, where they are flicked off the bill (sometimes into the air) and then swallowed head-first. Female and juvenile birds look like this - http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/274...

Habitat:

Typical habitat is freshwater or brackish wetlands more than 0.5m deep with fallen trees or logs and vegetated banks; less commonly, Darters are found in sheltered saltwater or estuarine environments.

Notes:

This Darter was spotted at the lake on the University of Queensland Campus. It's a fantastic spot for waterbirds of all varieties, and is just across the river from my home. Worth another visit. In fact, many more visits. The last photo in this series shows a small section of the lake environment. Also, the smaller bird shown in these photos is a Little Pied Cormorant, another waterbird that inhabits the lake. There is also an Australian White Ibis in photo #5. http://www.uq.edu.au/sustainability/uq-s...