Australian Darter
Anhinga novaehollandiae
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderSuliformes (Gannets, Cormorants, and Allies)
- FamilyAnhingidae (Darters)
- GenusAnhinga (Darters)
- SpeciesAnhinga novaehollandiae (Australian Darter)
About the Australian Darter
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. It weighs around 2.6 kg and spans 86–94 cm (34–37 in) in length.
John Gould described the Australasian darter as Plotus novaehollandiae in 1847. Closely related to American (Anhinga anhinga), African (Anhinga rufa), and Oriental (Anhinga melanogaster) darters, the Australasian darter has been classed as a subspecies of the African or African plus Oriental darters. All four have also been classed as a single species. Examination of the leg bones indicates the three Old World species are more closely related to each other with the American species more divergent. Genetic analysis showed it differed from A. rufa to a degree equivalent to that between other separate species, and shifted consensus to treating the Australasian darter as a separate species.
Fossils of the Australasian darter have been recovered from several Pleistocene strata in Australia. As well as Australasian darter, common names given to the species include darter, diver, needle-beak shag, shag, and snake-bird. The Noongar... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Australian Darter in Kakadu National Park
LIVEiNaturalist
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 15 | Komodo National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 16 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 17 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Australian Darter in Kakadu National Park?
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Australian Darter sighting in Kakadu National Park, based on 803 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Australian Darter in Kakadu National Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for Australian Darter in Kakadu National Park in our monthly data.