Oriental Darter
Caught this Oriental Darter with its wings held open to dry after it had taken a dip in the water looking for fish. The bird was pretty close to where I was and surprisingly did not scoot off most probably because I did not get out of the car. It is never easy to get close to them due to their shy nature. It is a water bird of tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia. It has a long and slender neck with a straight, pointed bill and, like the Cormorant, it hunts for fish while its body is submerged in water. It spears the fish underwater, bringing it above the surface, tossing and juggling it before swallowing the fish head first. The body remains submerged as it swims, and the slender neck alone is visible above the water, which accounts for the colloquial name of Snakebird. The Oriental Darter is a member of the darter family, Anhingidae, and is closely related to the American, African and Australasian darters. These were for sometime treated as subspecies of Anhinga Melanogaster. The Oriental Darter differs in appearance from American Darters most recognisably by its white lateral neck stripe. Clicked at the Chirakkal Chira, a man-made pond which is considered to be the largest in Asia. The 20th species I have identified so far at this pond.
Oriental Darter
Caught this Oriental Darter with its wings held open to dry after it had taken a dip in the water looking for fish. The bird was pretty close to where I was and surprisingly did not scoot off most probably because I did not get out of the car. It is never easy to get close to them due to their shy nature. It is a water bird of tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia. It has a long and slender neck with a straight, pointed bill and, like the Cormorant, it hunts for fish while its body is submerged in water. It spears the fish underwater, bringing it above the surface, tossing and juggling it before swallowing the fish head first. The body remains submerged as it swims, and the slender neck alone is visible above the water, which accounts for the colloquial name of Snakebird. The Oriental Darter is a member of the darter family, Anhingidae, and is closely related to the American, African and Australasian darters. These were for sometime treated as subspecies of Anhinga Melanogaster. The Oriental Darter differs in appearance from American Darters most recognisably by its white lateral neck stripe. Clicked at the Chirakkal Chira, a man-made pond which is considered to be the largest in Asia. The 20th species I have identified so far at this pond.