I saw my third species of darter (there are four) in Sri Lanka. I've previously seen the American darter or Anhinga in Florida and the African darter in Botswana. The Oriental darter is also known as the Indian darter
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| Oriental darter in Bundala NP. |
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| Oriental darter in Yala NP. |
The Oriental darter is found in south and southeast Asia. It has black plumage and wing coverts and tertials with silvery streaks.
The underparts are blackish brown. It has a pale line over the eye and throat and a line running along the sides of the neck that give it a striped appearance. It has a white iris with a yellow ring which is a brighter yellow in breeding birds. The tip of the upper bill is dark and the base is pale brown. The lower bill is yellowish.
Our best sightings were in Bundala National Park, but we also saw a few in Yala National Park.
It's crazy how much their necks look like and move like a snake. I love the third to last photo of the wing, which looks like a painting.
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