The Anhinga Melanogaster is the scientific name given to the Indian Darter or the Oriental Darter, which sometimes goes by the name of Snakebird. It is a water-bird that is found in the tropical regions of Southeastern Asia and South Asia. It closely resembles the cormorant species and has a rather longer neck. This species usually swims below water with only the neck above the water surface and it is a fish-eater. In terms of appearance, the Anhinga melanogaster differs from the darters form the American region, mostly because of its recognizable neck stripe with dotted with white. Its nest is usually built with sticks on a tree and has been confirmed to lay between 3 to 6 eggs.

Appearance

The Indian darter is usually a large bird having a neck that assumes the likeness of a snake and has a very sharp bill that is pointed while the tail is also rounded. The make Anhinga melanogaster are brownish black with a shard of darkness, and very gloss hue on the black upper-wings that are spotted and streaked with white, brown and silver-gray. On the strong neck also kinked, a pale brown or white stripe starts from the neck, while the breast area of the bird is chestnut brown.

Habitat

Just like its cousins in Africa and America, the Anhinga melanogaster from Asia is a darter that lives along wetlands within tropics and sub-tropics and sheltered waters of a coastal area. This bird prefers open waters that are quite smooth for its feeding mission, while for resting it chooses tree trunks, stumps, branches as well as post fringing water while drying its wet wings or resting. The birds are usually seen inland areas, about temporary or permanent bodies of water that is at least about a meter half in depth, although it might be seen along calm seashore in a fishing mission. The salinity or even murkiness of water hardly affects the Asian Darter, as much as it also requires those waters that have sparse vegetation allowing it to dive and swim as easily as possible. The Anhinga melanogaster builds nests on those trees that stand on water, while it will definitely move to deeper water areas in case the water body begins to dry.

Feeding

The darter catches the fish over a cool water body using its incisive and sharp bill that is partly open as it dives inside water that is more than 60cm in depth. It pierces the fish from below as it flicks it on water surface then swallowed successively head first. It eats smaller items below water while larger food items might be carried to a more convenient chosen perch where it is then swallowed. It eats different types of insects and other types of aquatic animals, as well as small turtles and other vegetable food matter. During hot weather, adult Anhinga melanogaster could pour water using their bills into their small chicks’ gullet while they are still within the nest growing.