African Darter
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? African Darter |
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| Anhinga rufa ( Daudin, 1802) |
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The African Darter (Anhinga rufa ), sometimes called the Snakebird, is a water bird of tropical sub-Saharan Africa.
This species builds a stick nest in a tree and lays 3-6 eggs. It often nests with herons, egrets and cormorants.
It is a cormorant-like fish-eating species with a very long neck which occurs in both saline and fresh water, especially near mangroves. It often swims with only the neck above water.
The male is mainly glossy black with white streaking, but females and immature birds are browner. The African Darter differs in appearance from Indian and American darters most recognisably by its thin white lateral neck stripe against a rufous background colour.
The African Darter is a member of the darter family, Anhingidae, and is closely related to American (Anhinga anhinga), Oriental (Anhinga melanogaster), and Australian (Anhinga novaehollandiae) Darters.