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Australasian DarterAlternate name(s): "Snake-necked Darter", "Diver*", "Snake-bird", "Shag*" ![]() Size: 85-90 cm; wing span 1.2 m Weight: 1.05-1.35 kg |
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See Australasian
Darter at Wikipedia ![]() |
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Photos |
Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a
look here .
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ADULT |
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MALE |
Frontal view of a "decorated" male Australasian Darter that has just
emerged from a waterhole
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, July 2010]
Close-up near-frontal view of a male Australasian Darter
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Palmerston Golf Course, Palmerston, NT, February 2021]
Near-frontal view of a preening male Australasian Darter
[Fogg Dam CR,
NT, August 2014]
Near-lateral/ventral view of a male Australasian Darter
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, September 2011]
Close-up lateral portrait of a male Australasian Darter
in eastern Australia (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, December 2013]
Close-up lateral portrait of a male Australasian Darter
in western Australia (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Banks of the Murchison River, near Ajana, WA, May 2018]
Lateral view of a male Australasian Darter drying its
plumage
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, August 2010]
Lateral view of a male Australasian Darter
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Banks of the Murchison River, near Ajana, WA, May 2018]
Lateral view of a male Australasian Darter swimming after a dive
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, April 2010]
Lateral view of a male Australasian Darter shows clearly its
completely webbed feet (photo courtesy of J. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, September 2014]
Close-up near-dorsal view of a male Australasian Darter
basking in the sun
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Lake Barrine, Atherton Tablelands, QLD, July 2019]
Near-dorsal view of a male Australasian Darter
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, September 2011]
Close-up dorsal view of a male Australasian Darter drying its
plumage
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Palmerston Golf Course, Palmerston, NT, December 2020]
Dorsal view of a male Australasian Darter drying its
plumage
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Robina, Gold Coast, QLD, May 2015]
Frontal view of a male Australasian Darter in flight
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Kakadu NP,
NT, July 2020]
Lateral profile of a "rocket" - male Australasian Darter in flight
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, July 2010]
Dorsal view of a male Australasian Darter in flight; note the
rufous streaking on the wing coverts (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, December 2013]
Dorsal view of a male Australasian Darter in flight; different
phase of the wing beat (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, December 2013]
Male Australasian Darter in flight, seen from underneath
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, July 2010]
This Australasian Darter looks like a young male
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, November 2011]
Direct comparison between - left to right -
a male Australasian Darter,
a Little Black Cormorant,
a Great Cormorant,
and a Little Pied Cormorant
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, November 2019]
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FEMALE |
Close-up frontal view of a female Australasian Darter
drying its plumage
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, July 2017]
Close-up near-frontal view of a female Australasian Darter
drying its plumage
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, September 2016]
Close-up near-lateral view of a female Australasian Darter
drying its plumage;
this is the bird whose
calls were recorded
on 25 September 2019
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, September 2019]
Near-lateral view of a female Australasian Darter; this is the bird whose
calls were recorded on
21 June 2018
[Narrabri, NSW, June 2018]
Close-up lateral view of a female Australasian Darter
drying its plumage;
this is the bird whose
calls were recorded
on 25 September 2019 (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, September 2019]
Lateral view of a female Australasian Darter; note the pronounced
kink of the neck
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, May 2013]
The same female Australasian Darter as shown above, now on the point
of take-off
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, May 2013]
Lateral view of a female Australasian Darter
(photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
Female Australasian Darter drying its plumage
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, November 2010]
Female Australasian Darter in flight, seen from underneath
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, April 2012]
Female Australasian Darter in flight
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, January 2011]
Lateral view of a female Australasian Darter in flight; note the
pronounced kink of the neck
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, March 2012]
Female Australasian Darter approaching a dead treetop, showing
clearly the webbed feet
[Moree, NSW, April 2014]
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PAIR |
Dorsal view of a pair of Australasian Darters, male on the right
(photo courtesy of
V. Collins)
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, May 2021]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Frontal view of an immature Australasian Darter; much of the
plumage has
already turned dark, but the head/neck and wing coverts are
still juvenile feathers
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Postman's Track, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2019]
4 immature Australasian Darters in various
plumages
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Monger, Perth, WA, March 2022]
Frontal view of an immature male Australasian Darter starting to moult
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Monger, Perth, WA, March 2022]
Near-lateral view of a juvenile Australasian Darter drying its feathers
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Brisbane River, Brisbane, QLD, June 2006]
Close-up lateral view of a juvenile Australasian Darter
(photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Kingaroy, QLD, October 2015]
Lateral view of a juvenile Australasian Darter
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Monger, Perth, WA, March 2022]
Lateral view of a juvenile Australasian Darter swimming in a creek
[Narrabri, NSW, September 2007]
Lateral view of a juvenile Australasian Darter preparing for touchdown
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, December 2010]
Near-dorsal view of an Australasian Darter in complete wing moult
(photo courtesy of S. Kirkby)
Fledgling Australasian Darter - note the growth of the wing
feathers in comparison with photos taken 2 weeks earlier, in
May 2018, shown below (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Centennial Park, Sydney, NSW, June 2018]
Fledgling Australasian Darter - note the growth of the wing
feathers in comparison with photos taken 2 weeks later, in
June 2018, shown above (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Centennial Park, Sydney, NSW, May 2018]
Juvenile Australasian Darter resting by the edge of an
ephemeral wetland;
this bird may have left its nest early, or fallen out, because it is
still retaining downy feathers on its neck
[Near Pilliga, NSW, March 2022]
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Breeding information |
Breeding season: Jan - Dec | Eggs: 2 - 6 | Incubation period: ca. 28 days | Fledging age: ca. 50 days |
Darters have erratic breeding habits. Given the right conditions, they can in principle breed any time of year, with a preference for the timeframe Aug - Dec in the southern part of the continent and Feb - Apr in the tropical North. Especially inland the breeding cycle will adapt to local water levels.
Nest building: ? | Incubation: Female & male | Dependent care: Female & male |
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Nest |
"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal] |
Type: Basket | Material: Sticks, leaves | Height above ground: 3 - 20(?) m |
Three tall Australasian Darter chicks in their nest
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Centennial Park, Sydney, NSW, June 2017]
Four tall Australasian Darter chicks in their nest
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Centennial Park, Sydney, NSW, May 2018]
Two tall Australasian Darter chicks in their nest
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Centennial Park, Sydney, NSW, May 2018]
Male Australasian Darter on its nest with chicks
[Pilliga, NSW, December 2022]
The same tree, but a different fork, was still in use 2 months later;
this nest had 3 chicks in it, one of which is seen begging for food
[Pilliga, NSW, February 2023]
Female Australasian Darter on its nest with chicks
[Yarrie Lake, near Wee Waa, NSW, December 2022]
Australasian Darter chicks preening in their nest
[Yarrie Lake, near Wee Waa, NSW, December 2022]
Male Australasian Darter on its nest
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Broadwater, near Dalby, QLD, January 2018]
Female Australasian Darter on its nest in a dead tree standing
in water (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Paradise Dam, Burnett River, near Gayndah, QLD, April 2016]
Example of Australasian Darters nesting in a loose colony with other
species, in this case Little
Pied Cormorants
(photo courtesy of D. Albertson, LTIM Gwydir Wetlands)
[Gwydir Wetlands, 50 km West of Moree, NSW, February 2015]
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Eggs |
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay] |
Size: 58 x 37 mm | Colour: Creamy, with chalky coating | Shape: Long elliptical |
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Behaviour |
Social behaviour: Territorial? | Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive | Elementary unit: Solitary |
Hunting under water, Australasian Darters are one of the bird species that can regularly be seen drying their plumage sitting on a perch in bright sunlight.
Dorsal view of a male
Australasian Darter drying its plumage
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, April 2013]
Australasian Darters and
Little Pied Cormorants
drying their plumage
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Road Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, September 2017]
When excited, e.g. when wary of a human observer, male Australasian Darters will display their hackles.
Near-dorsal view of a male
Australasian Darter issuing a warning when disturbed while drying its
plumage; this is the
bird whose faint
clicking calls were recorded on 3 December 2015
[Mudgee, NSW, December 2015]
This immature
Australasian Darter was found by us on a rockface by the sea
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, August 2014]
Australasian Darter coming in to land - a
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, May 2017]
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Food, Diet |
Australasian Darters feed exclusively on fish. They spear their prey, rather than grabbing it like herons or egrets. They then thrust the prey upward and maneuvre it into the slender bill by turning it.
Female Australasian
Darter with its prey
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, December 2010]
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Additional information |
On a separate page we have lined up a series of low-quality shots of a Australasian Darter turning around and swallowing a fish speared on its bill.
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Call(s)/Song |
For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own;
comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.
darter_20230227_2.mp3 | (NW NSW) | Contact call (male) | © MD | |
darter_20210613.m4a | (NW NSW) | Contact call | © MD | |
darter_pb_20190925.m4a | (Darwin, NT) | Contact call (female) | © PB | |
darter_20180621.m4a | (NW NSW) | Contact call (female) | © MD | |
darter_20230227_3.mp3 | (NW NSW) | Warning calls (male) | © MD | |
darter_20230227.mp3 | (NW NSW) | Arrival (male) - warning? | © MD | |
darter_20210613_2.m4a | (NW NSW) | Female leaving perch, male arriving | © MD | |
darter_20210613_3.m4a | (NW NSW) | Male moving around on perch | © MD | |
darter_20230227_5.mp3 | (NW NSW) | Begging calls (nestlings) | © MD | |
darter_20230227_4.mp3 | (NW NSW) |
Begging calls (nestlings) (+ Superb Fairy-wren) |
© MD |
More Australasian Darter sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.