Anhinga novaehollandiae
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Australasian darter or Australian darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae) is a species of bird in the darter family, Anhingidae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. It weighs around 2.6 kg and spans 86–94 cm (34–37 in) in length.
John Gould described the Australasian darter as Plotus novaehollandiae in 1847. Closely related to American (Anhinga anhinga), African (Anhinga rufa), and Oriental (Anhinga melanogaster) darters, the Australasian darter has been classed as a subspecies of the African or African plus Oriental darters. All four have also been classed as a single species. Examination of the leg bones indicates the three Old World species are more closely related to each other with the American species more divergent. Genetic analysis showed it differed from A. rufa to a degree equivalent to that between other separate species, and shifted consensus to treating the Australasian darter as a separate species.
Fossils of the Australasian darter have been recovered from several Pleistocene strata in Australia. As well as Australasian darter, common names given to the species include darter, diver, needle-beak shag, shag, and snake-bird. The Noongar... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleland Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Billabong Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Darter sighting in Royal National Park on a given day, based on 109 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 97th most-seen of the 178 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and October–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Darter in Royal National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–May and July–September, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Australian Darter sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 14
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Australian Darter sightings, Royal National Park ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Kakadu National Park (Australia, about 40%), Daintree National Park (Australia, about 30%) and Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (Australia, about 30%).
Same order: Suliformes
The closest relatives of the Australian Darter that you can see in Royal National Park (order Suliformes, Gannets, Cormorants, and Allies) are Little Pied Cormorant (about 40%), Little Black Cormorant (about 30%) and Great Cormorant (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Australian Darter is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal National Park (109 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
