African Darter
Anhinga rufa
A long and slender cormorant-like waterbird that often swims with its body submerged and only the “S”-shaped neck protruding from the water. Adults are mostly black with white flecks and streaks. Males have a rusty neck and a white stripe running from the eye down the side of the head, which is duller when not breeding. Females and juveniles are muted and brown. African Darter is widespread in freshwater wetlands, preferring placid to fast flowing waters. Cormorants have proportionately larger heads, bulkier necks, and hooked rather than bayonet-shaped bills.
识别特征
The African darter is 80 cm (31 in) long. Like other anhingas, it has a very long neck. The male is mainly glossy black with white streaking; females and immature birds are browner. The African darter differs in appearance from the American darter most recognisably by its thin white lateral neck stripe against a rufous background colour. The pointed bill prevents confusion with cormorants.
分类信息
The African darter is a member of the darter family, Anhingidae, and is closely related to American (Anhinga anhinga), Oriental (Anhinga melanogaster), and Australasian (Anhinga novaehollandiae) darters.
- 学名
- Anhinga rufa
- 命名信息
- (Daudin, 1802)
- 目
- Suliformes
- 科
- Anhingidae
- 属
- Anhinga
分布与栖息地
The African darter is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of water occur; overall the species remains widespread and common.<p>The only non-African subspecies, the Levant darter (Anhinga rufa chantrei), occurred at Lake Amik (Amik Gölü) in south-central Turkey, in the Hula Valley lake and marshes in northern Israel and in the Mesopotamian Marshes of the lower Euphrates and Tigris rivers in southern Iraq. The Turkish population disappeared during the 1930s and the Israeli population during the drainage of the Hula in the 1950s. In Khuzestan, 110 birds were counted in 1990, but the subspecies was feared extinct as a result of oil spills during the Gulf War and the drainage of the Mesopotamian Marshes that followed it. However, a small population was documented in the Hawizeh Marshes in 2007. The drainage of the marshes was interrupted and reversed after the Iraq War.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
This species builds a stick nest in a tree and lays 3–6 eggs. It often nests with herons, egrets and cormorants.<p>It often swims with only the neck above water, hence the common name snakebird. This, too, is a habit shared with the other anhingas. It feeds on fish, which it catches by diving.<p>Unlike many other waterbirds the feathers of the African darter do not contain any oil and are therefore not waterproof. Because of this, the bird is less positively buoyant and its diving capabilities are enhanced. After diving for fish, the feathers can become waterlogged. In order to be able to fly and maintain heat insulation, it needs to dry its feathers. Thus the African darter is often seen sitting along the waterside spreading its wings and drying its feathers in the wind and the sun along with cormorants, which may share its habitat.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Guam Rail
Gallirallus owstoni
A short-tailed, mostly flightless rail, known locally as the Ko’ko’, with reddish chestnut upperparts and white-barred black underparts. Gray on the chest and throat with a pale gray eyebrow. Once widespread across most habitats, it became extinct in the wild in the 1980s, but has been reintroduced in carefully managed areas thanks to a captive breeding program. Similar to Buff-banded Rail, but lacks chestnut on the face and breast, and has a more extensive area of black with white barring below. Upperside is also much plainer reddish. Most commonly heard giving short “kip” notes, but also loud screeches during breeding season.
Reunion Gray White-eye
Zosterops borbonicus
An unusual white-eye that lacks white around the eye, but has a puffy white rump patch. The coloration is highly variable, with four morphs occupying largely separate distributions. Can be mostly brown, mostly gray, or a mix of the two. Found in virtually all habitats with woody vegetation on the island of Reunion. A conspicuous, sociable bird that is usually found in flocks. Vaguely similar to Reunion White-eye, but easily separated by the lack of a white eye-ring and the lack of olive-green in the plumage. The song is a repetitive series of warbling notes, typical of a white-eye. The calls are rattling and squealing notes.
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
Large tanager with a hefty bill. Adult males are completely red; immature males are dull yellow-olive with blotchy patches of red. Females are variable in color, ranging from pale dull yellow to brighter orange. Can be confused with female Scarlet Tanager; Summer has a longer, paler bill and less contrast between wing and body color. Also compare with dustier-looking, stouter-billed Hepatic Tanager. Breeds in mature forests, favoring mixed deciduous and pine in the southeastern U.S. and riparian corridors in the western U.S. and northern Mexico. Extensive winter range from Mexico to Bolivia, where it can be found in any wooded area. Often gives a short, descending rattle “pit-a-tuck.”
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