The Australian Darter is the type of bird that is known as Anhinga Novaehollandiae, a species within the darter’s vast family, the Anhingidae. This specific type of Anhingidae is commonly found along the Indonesian, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australian regions. It closely relates to the African, Oriental and the American Darters.

The Australian darter comprises of a sole genus, as the persistent disagreement on the number of bird species within the Anhingidae continues, although four species are the others generally under recognition. They are overtly distributed within the subtropical, warm temperate and tropical zones.

Anhinga Novaehollandiae incubates its eggs for about 25 to 30 days and it hatches asynchronously. The chicks do acquire a tan or white hue after only 48 hours, depicting them as altricial. These chicks are brooded and fed by their parents. Cases of fledging does occur after around just five or so weeks, while post-fledgling feeding does continue for about two or more weeks. Issues of sexual maturity are achieved after around two or so years. Anhinga Novaehollandiae could live for about nine years in wild regions and 15 or 16 years while captive.

Both the parents do have a gray stippling that is very extensive upon long scapulars as well as on upper covert wings. The younger Australian darter is a bit browner intensely than its female counterpart while it also lacks in stippling. It does have some variables in terms of color irises, which include brown, red and yellow. In breeding times, its quite small gular sac that is bare changes to yellow from pink to black, while the facial skin is transformed to turquoise from yellow or even greenish-yellow.

Breeding

In the breeding period the pairs bonding is not clear, although the Anhinga Novaehollandiae do appear to be seasonally and minimally monogamous. The mating displays do vary and are quite diverse. The males are known to advertise their readiness for the mating game through the use of such actions as twig grasping, snap bowing and wing waving. The displays of greeting do include shaking twigs, gaping, snap bowing or even wing lifting. The bonding of the Anhinga Novaehollandiae pairs might continue into sky-pointing, shaking, bowing and neck waving. The copulation between the two darters occurs within the created nest area.

The Anhinga Novaehollandiae or anhingids generally, could just gather within flocks of around 100 birds. These birds, the Australian Darters, are intensely territorial while they wield highly agonistic interactions that are very common among the male fowls. There is a distinguishable and specific vocalization that does characterize the distinct Anhinga Novaehollandiae sexes, as well as in terms of age. The Anhingids do produce a rattling or clicking sound as they perch or fly. Within the nests, the adults are known to make use of grunts, rattles and croaks, while darter chicks could squawk or squeal. The adults who are breeding might hiss, sigh or emit caws.

The Anhinga Novaehollandiae eggs are largely collected by humans for consumption in concurrent with fishing.