The Darter is a water bird of Asia. When in water, only the head is visible and appears like a snake, so it is also called the snakebird.
The Snakebird
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It is found in the freshwater lakes and ponds and hunts for the fish underwater like cormorants.
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The sharp beak is used to stab the fish in the water to be taken out, tossed and eaten the face first.
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The darters hunt alone and are highly territorial. The Darters sometimes can fight till the one of them dies.
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They perch close to the water level and dive inside the water to hunt. It can even catch the bigger and heavier fish.
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After bringing the fish out from the water, it will keep tossing it till the fish will die. They position the fish by tossing it to eat them face first.
Photos Mukund Kumar
The fish once stabbed by the Darter can not escape. It uses the strong neck muscle and sharp beak as a dart to hit the fish.
Photos Mukund Kumar
After the hunting and eating for a while the feather of the Darter will become wet so it has to come out of the water frequently.
Photos Mukund Kumar
It will perch on a branch and spread the wings to let it dry and be ready for the next dive.