The African darter (Anhinga rufa), sometimes called the snakebird, is a water bird of sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq.
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa and Mesopotamia
Typical Environment
Found widely on freshwater lakes, slow-flowing rivers, swamps, and floodplains across sub‑Saharan Africa, with a small outlying population in the Mesopotamian marshes of southern Iraq. It favors quiet, well-vegetated waters with abundant fish and scattered snags or overhanging branches for perching. Nesting is typically over water in trees, reedbeds, or dense shrubs, often alongside cormorants and herons. It generally avoids open ocean and fast mountain torrents, but may use brackish lagoons and reservoirs.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Often called the snakebird because its long neck alone shows above water when it swims with its body submerged. After diving, it habitually perches with wings spread to dry because its plumage is only partially waterproof. It hunts by spearing fish with a sharp, dagger-like bill and then flipping prey to swallow head-first.
African darter with prey, a cichlid fish
Temperament
wary but gregarious at roosts
Flight Pattern
strong flier with rapid wingbeats interspersed with short glides
Social Behavior
Often roosts and nests colonially, frequently mixed with cormorants and herons. Builds stick nests over water; both sexes incubate and feed the young. Pairs are seasonally monogamous and defend a small area around the nest.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Not musical; gives harsh croaks, grunts, and clicking notes, especially at breeding colonies. Hisses or snaps its bill when disturbed at close range.
Plumage
Glossy dark brown to black body with a rich chestnut neck and fine pale streaking along the head and neck; wings show silvery streaked coverts. Feathers appear sleek when wet and may look matte when drying.
Diet
Primarily piscivorous, taking small to medium fish which it spears or seizes underwater. It may also consume aquatic insects, crustaceans, and occasional amphibians. After impaling, it surfaces to toss and swallow prey head-first to avoid fin spines.
Preferred Environment
Hunts in calm, shallow to moderately deep freshwater with submerged vegetation or branches that provide ambush cover. Often forages alone or loosely near other waterbirds, then retreats to exposed perches to dry feathers.
