Australasian Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Australasian Darter

Anhinga novaehollandiae (Gould, 1847)

86–94 cmLength1.5 kgWeight

The Australasian darter or Australian darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae) is a species of bird in the darter family, Anhingidae.

Busiest months: January and October · Most records: Australia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Australasian Darter has been recorded at 228 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Sandy Camp Road WetlandsAustralia5,905 records
  2. Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature ReserveAustralia5,476 records
  3. Oxley Creek CommonAustralia3,714 records
More places
  1. Centennial ParkAustralia3,571 records
  2. Cattana WetlandsAustralia2,520 records
  3. Lake Samsonvale – Golds Scrub LaneAustralia2,401 records
  4. Townsville Town Common Conservation ParkAustralia2,391 records
  5. Dowse LagoonAustralia2,308 records
  6. Herdsman LakeAustralia2,263 records
  7. Hasties Swamp National ParkAustralia1,693 records

Countries and regions with the most records

AustraliaPapua New GuineaTimor-LesteIndonesia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Australasian darter or Australian darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae) is a species of bird in the darter family, Anhingidae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Australasian Darter?

The Australasian Darter is about 86–94 cm long and weighs around 1.5 kg.

Where does the Australasian Darter live?

Its breeding range: Australasia: Timor (eastern Lesser Sundas), New Guinea, and Australia (except south-central, Tasmania). It is most often recorded in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.

When is the best time to see the Australasian Darter?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January and October (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Australasian Darter endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Australasian Darter as Least Concern.

What does the Australasian Darter eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Australasian Darter in?

It belongs to the family Anhingas, Darters (Anhingidae), order Suliformes.

At a glance

Length
86–94 cm
Weight
1.5 kg
Habitat
Wetland
Diet
Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle
On the water surface
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
353 mm
Tail
219 mm
Bill
87 mm
Tarsus
51 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Australasia: Timor (eastern Lesser Sundas), New Guinea, and Australia (except south-central, Tasmania)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Anhingas, Darters Anhingidae
Genus
Anhinga

Other birds in the genus Anhinga

AnhingaAnhingaAnhinga anhingaOriental DarterOriental DarterAnhinga melanogasterAfrican DarterAfrican DarterAnhinga rufa
Australasian Darter

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by jpshahady. ↗

WebP · 1070 px

Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.

In other languages