African Darter

Anhinga rufa

Closely related to American Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga), the African Darter is a native to sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of water occur. While the pictured bird is a captive, I met its relatives when I visited my family in Kariba, Zimbabwe.

Taxonomists call for three subspecies of African Darter:

• A. r. rufa lives in Africa south of the Sahara and Middle East.
• A. r. chantrei formerly lived in southern Turkey, but now only breeds in southern Iraq, where it is likely to have suffered during Gulf War of 1991.
• A. r. vulsini lives in Madagascar.

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