List of Birds of The Gambia - Darters

Darters

Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Anhingidae

Darters are large waterbirds, found primarily in fresh and brackish water habitats. Because their plumage is not entirely waterproof, they often stand out of the water with their wings outstretched, drying off. Darters are strongly sexually dimorphic; males generally have much darker plumage than do females. They eat primarily fish, which they catch by diving from the water's surface. There are two to four species worldwide (some taxonomists lump all the Old World species as Anhinga melanogaster, while others treat them separately); of these, one has been recorded in Africa, and in The Gambia.

  • African Darter, Anhinga rufa

Read more about this topic:  List Of Birds Of The Gambia