African Darter
African DarterAfrican DarterAfrican DarterAfrican Darter

African Darter

Anhinga rufa

Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Tsavo East National Park
12 Verified sightings at Tsavo East National Park From 2019 to 2026
7,708 Verified sightings across all 38 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the African Darter

The African darter (Anhinga rufa), sometimes called the snakebird, is a water bird of Sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq. The African darter is a member of the darter family, Anhingidae, and is closely related to American (A. anhinga), Oriental (A. melanogaster), and Australasian (A. novaehollandiae) darters.

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.

The African darter is found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of water occur; overall, the species remains widespread and common. 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... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Tsavo East National Park

Long-tailed Cormorant
LC

Long-tailed Cormorant

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Microcarbo africanus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Great Cormorant
LC

Great Cormorant

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phalacrocorax carbo

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Great Frigatebird
LC

Great Frigatebird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Fregata minor

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Lesser Frigatebird
LC

Lesser Frigatebird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Fregata ariel

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~60%
2 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~60%
3 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~50%
4 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~50%
5 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~40%
6 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~40%
7 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~40%
8 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~40%
9 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
10 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
11 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
12 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
13 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
14 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
15 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~10%
16 Ankarafantsika National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~10%
17 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
18 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
19 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
20 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
21 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
22 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
<5%
23 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
24 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
25 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
26 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
27 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
28 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
29 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
30 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
31 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
32 Golden Gate Highlands National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
33 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
34 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
Insufficient data
35 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Insufficient data
36 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
37 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
Insufficient data
38 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a African Darter in Tsavo East National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a African Darter sighting in Tsavo East National Park, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see African Darter in Tsavo East National Park?

September has the highest sighting rate for African Darter in Tsavo East National Park in our monthly data.

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