Anhinga melanogaster
Date 1781
Source Indische Zoologie
Author Peter Mazell
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Forster_Plate_12.jpg

The Oriental darter (Anhinga melanogaster) 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, Anhinga melanogaster hunts for fish while its body is submerged in water. It spears a 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. Like the cormorants, the Oriental darters have wettable feathers and they are often found perched on a rock or branch with its wings held open to dry.

Order: Suliformes
Family: Anhingidae
Genus: Anhinga
Species: Anhinga melanogaster (Pennant, 1769)
Synonyms
- Plotus melanogaster