Darters Gallery

Indian darter, Anhinga melanogaster Near threatened

Indian darter, Anhinga melanogaster. Near threatened. . Handcolored copperplate engraving from George Shaw and Frederick Nodder's The Naturalist's Miscellany, London, 1799

© Florilegius / Mary Evans

Anhingamelanogaster, Copperplate, Engraving, Fredericknodder, Georgeshaw, Handcolored, Historical, History, Indiandarter, Naturalhistory, Nearthreatened, Richardpolydorenodder, Thenaturalistsmiscellany, Zoology

South America. Brazil. An anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) drying its wings in the sun

South America. Brazil. An anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) drying its wings in the sun, found in the Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland area, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site

© Ralph Bendjebar / DanitaDelimont.com

Anhinga, Anhinga Anhinga, Bird, Brazil, Darter, Mato Grosso Do Sul, Pantanal, South America, Unesco, World Heritage Site

Close-up of wing feathers of Anhinga, Snakebird, Darter, American darter, or Water turkey

Extreme close-up of a male Anhinga's wing, a beautiful black and silvery white. Anhingas do not have waterproof feathers. It is believed that they do not have the oil glands to waterproof them. The structure of the anhingas feathers decreases their buoyancy and allows them to stay underwater for longer periods of time in pursuit of their prey (fish). Because their plumage is not water-repellant, they have difficulty when attempting to fly with waterlogged wings. They dry their feathers by standing with their wings spread usually under the sun. Photographed in Florida

© Zen Rial 2015