Oriental Darter
Oriental DarterOriental DarterOriental DarterOriental Darter

Oriental Darter

Anhinga melanogaster

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
60–70% · Likely
overall probability at Yala National Park
676 Verified records at Yala National Park
May Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's active at dawn and dusk

The Oriental darter (Anhinga melanogaster) is a water bird of tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia. It has a long and slender neck with a straight, pointed bill and, like the cormorant, it hunts for fish while its body is submerged in water. It spears a fish underwater, bringing it above the surface, tossing and juggling it before swallowing the fish head first. The body remains submerged as it swims, and the slender neck alone is visible above the water, which accounts for the colloquial name of snakebird. Like the cormorants, it has wettable feathers and it is often found perched on a rock or branch with its wings held open to dry. Wikipedia →

60–70% of wildlife watchers report a Oriental Darter sighting in Yala National Park, based on 676 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Yala National Park

Little Cormorant
LC

Little Cormorant

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Microcarbo niger

50–60% · Likely
Indian Cormorant
LC

Indian Cormorant

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Phalacrocorax fuscicollis

30–40% · Possible
Great Cormorant
LC Endemic

Great Cormorant

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phalacrocorax carbo

10–20% · With luck
Lesser Frigatebird
LC Endemic

Lesser Frigatebird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Fregata ariel

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

60–70
Jan
60–70
Feb
60–70
Mar
60–70
Apr
70–80
May
60–70
Jun
60–70
Jul
50–60
Aug
70–80
Sep
50–60
Oct
60–70
Nov
50–60
Dec

🌅 When They're Spotted

Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)

🌅Crepuscular
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
70–80%
2 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
60–70%
3 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
60–70%
4 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
60–70%
5 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
50–60%
6 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
30–40%
7 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
30–40%
8 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
30–40%
9 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
20–30%
10 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
20–30%
11 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
20–30%
12 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
10–20%
13 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
14 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
5–10%
15 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
5–10%
16 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
<5%
17 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
18 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
19 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
20 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
21 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
22 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
23 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
24 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
25 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
26 Eravikulam National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
27 Kerinci Seblat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
28 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
Insufficient data
29 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Oriental Darter in Yala National Park?

About 64% of wildlife watchers report a Oriental Darter sighting in Yala National Park, based on 676 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Oriental Darter in Yala National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for Oriental Darter in Yala National Park in our monthly data.

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