ANHINGIDAE
ORIENTAL DARTER



Location :  Batu Gajah, Perak
Date : ‎‎‎20 ‎October ‎2020

85–97 cm Adult non-breeding melanogaster: Longish slender pointed bill, long thin neck, relatively long tail. Head, neck and mantle mostly dark brown with pale throat and long whitish stripe extending from eye down neck-side, bold white streaks on upper mantle/scapulars/coverts. Adult breeding: Crown, hindneck and base-colour of upper mantle blackish, foreneck more chestnut. Juvenile: Paler/browner, buffish-white below with dark flanks/vent, buff-fringed coverts, narrow pale tail-tip. VOICE Gruff, slightly nasal uk ukukukuk-errr uk-uk or ok ok ok ok ukukukukuk-err rerr-rerr-rer-ruh when breeding. HABITAT & BEHAVIOUR Lakes, marshes, large rivers; up to 1,200 m. Often submerges, with only snake-like neck visible. Sometimes soars. RANGE Sc/lfc R (local movements) S Myanmar, Cambodia, Cochinchina; formerly NW,S Thailand. FR (currently?) Myanmar (except S), C Annam. Ra/sc (still breeds?) W,C,NE Thailand, Laos (FB throughout), S Annam (FB), E Tonkin. V western Pen Malaysia (FR?).