Anhinga Rufa is the scientific name for the African Darter, which sometimes earns the title of snakebird, while being a water bird found within the sub-Saharan tropics of Africa. It is a species that is able to build its nest atop a true while it does lay about 3-6 eggs. Its nesting patterns are carried concurrently with those of cormorants, egrets and herons. It also resembles the cormorant in its 80cm length, as well as being a species that consumes fish. Its neck is also very long while it is found along fresh and salty ecosystems, mostly nearer the mangroves. This darter swims with its neck the only part of its body above water.

The Anhinga rufa spears its prey, which mostly consists of fish as well as other animals that occur under-water, such as frogs, crustaceans and snakes, mostly within swimming motions. These darters communally nest mostly alongside egrets, herons, ibises and cormorants. These species do perform lots of frequent but locally managed migrations in response to the rainfall patterns that a country such as Kenya, where the African Darter is usually inhabits, has.

Different from so many other water birds, the Anhinga rufa’s feathers hardly have oil and are not waterproof. This is the reason why the bird is not very buoyant making its diving abilities largely enhanced. The fact is that after this darter has dived for at a prey, preferably fish, the feathers end up becoming waterlogged. This is reason why for it to maintain enough heat insulation and fly it has to first dry its feathers. Thus, the Anhinga Rufa can be seen basking on the sun along the water edges with its wings spread drying feathers before the sun and the wind.

Behavior

The African Darter is mostly sedentary, although it is subjected to some opportunistic local climate patterns that are not well known, which are related to wetlands and cases of drought. In the case of breeding, the timing is largely seasonal in some regions although it can do this at any of the twelve months of the year.

Habitat

The Anhinga Rufa depicts some familiar preferences for shallow, still and inland freshwater areas as well as alkaline lakes and most rivers that are largely slow-flowing that are fringed with trees and reeds. The darter can also be found in swampy areas, oxbow rivers, forested swamps, reservoirs, shadow tidal inlets and estuaries as well as in selected coastal lagoons. The African darter avoids rivers with water that is flowing fast, regions with densely floating vegetation and steep banked narrow drained habitats, while they prefer feeding within water that is about 1to 3 meters in depth, sometimes up to 6 meters, while the margins are usually forested or with trees emerging and scattered, as well as with vegetation and islets that is densely endowed.

Menace to the African Darter

The Anhinga Rufa is constantly under persecution in some regions of southern Africa, mostly in areas where there is trout and other types of edible fish as a threat to the capacity of such fish.