Distress call by the Indian darter

India is a home to 12 per cent of the world’s bird species—1,263 out of the total number of 10,135 birds worldwide according to a checklist prepared by a group of prominent ornithologists. And, of the 1,263 species, 154 species are critically endangered. The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) says that of the 466 Important Bird Areas (IBAs), 200 do not have protection.

In the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list of threatened species, I found the name of my favorite darter bird. Of the total four species of darters in the world, we have the Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster) in India. This graceful species of bird is commonly known as the Indian Darter or snake bird. For me it was a shock because I was under the impression that Indian darters could be vulnerable but not threatened.

In 1990s, this bird was classified under the Lower Risk-Least Concern category. Habitat loss, especially food habitat, caused by various factors is the main reason for its dwindling numbers, says the IUCN assessment. The telling argument is the lack of efforts to raise awareness about the bird and the threats that surround it. Considering how beautiful this bird is, an awareness campaign around it will draw a lot of attention.

<img class="wp-image-19583 size-full" src="https://indianarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/P2-Darter-drying-and-preening.jpg" alt="P2 Darter drying and preening" width="1000" height="788" /> An Indian darter drying and preening itself at the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Rajasthan (Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha)

With its long, snake-like, rubber-neck, and superior fishing skills, the oriental darter or Indian darter, makes for a fascinating study. I remember a guide at the Bharatpur birds sanctuary, Rajasthan, explaining to his guests: “This is Indian darter. It goes under water to catch fish. When it comes out, it still has dry wings even though its feathers does not have oil.”

Incidentally, I also find darters conspicuous in the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. They are among the most noticeable birds. I admire them as they swim well, fly well and know a thing or two about catching fish as well. These birds are unusual for a water bird in that they don’t have water-repellant feathers. While that might sound kind of stupid for a bird that spends its life near or in the water, it actually makes a lot of sense, because it allows the bird to dive underwater without the unwanted buoyancy that a regular bird would have. This saves it from wasting energy getting to the bottom of a pond where all the best fish are.

That’s the good part of lacking water-repellant feathers. The bad part is that, after time underwater, the bird’s feathers are completely soaked and so it needs to dry them out. Otherwise, it will waste too much energy flying. So the darter will find a nice sunny place and stand with its wings outstretched, drying its feathers. It makes a perfect pose for bird watchers and cameras.

<img class="wp-image-19584 size-full" src="https://indianarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/P4-Darter-with-fish.jpg" alt="An Indian darter Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha" width="1000" height="594" /> An Indian darter enjoying a fish (Photograph: Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha)

Darters are sometimes called snake birds and it’s easy to understand why when you see one in the water. They often swim partly-submerged with just that slim head and neck above the surface. Seen from a distance these birds really can look like snakes when they do that.

They are also called darters for a good reason. They curve back their neck, forming the shape of the alphabet ‘S’ and wait silently on water edge. When a fish nears a darter’s strike zone, the razor sharp beak is thrust forward by extending the coil neck and the beak ‘darts’ into the prey–hence the name darter.

Darters are ‘water butchers’ for their gruesome way of killing their prey. While the fish is tossed into the air, sniped and swallowed, their other prey which includes leeches, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders and other crustaceans, are often speared, beaten on rocks, and butchered on jagged edges before being eaten.

<img class="wp-image-19586 size-full" src="https://indianarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/DartersFeeding.jpg" alt="DarterFishMrityunjoyJha" width="922" height="521" /> Indian darters feeding fish in pond (Photograph: Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha)

These birds are a real treat to watch! Its elegant stretching and preening is a sight to see. Such is the act of preening, where each individual feather is meticulously maintained. As they check and re-check their bodies, they are actually cleaning each feather, removing any insects or lice, re-aligning the feather to its maximum aerodynamic position and then conditioning it.

Sadly, the numbers of this graceful species is on rapid decline owing to pollution, drainage, hunting and  collection of eggs and nestlings. This year, in February, pictures of the oriental darter struggling to free its beak from a piece of plastic went viral. The incident was reported from Palwal in Haryana which, according to the news report, has lost more than half of its wetlands in 30 years–from 1970s to 2000–due to land-use change like agricultural expansion. The bird was later rescued after efforts by forest authorities.

Such incidents where birds are impacted by trash and plastic waste could be reduced as part of a new plan to conserve birds and control dumping of waste into areas like wetlands which are bird habitats. Now, a 10-year plan proposed by the Indian government hopes to help in the conservation of birds and their habitats in India. The plan proposes a series of short-term, medium-term and long-term plans to protect rare and endangered species of birds, start species recovery program of critically endangered ones, introduce landscape approach to control declining populations, protect birds in urban areas and conserve wetlands and coastal areas frequented by birds.

In Covid-19 times, the warning is on the wall. The same human activities that drive climate change and biodiversity loss also drive pandemic risk through impact on environment.

Anyone who has watched these birds with their streamlined bodies and snake-like movements in water, would not like to loose them. Here is a quick warning bell, the IUCN Red list has categorised the Oriental Darter as near extinct in Thailand and Mauritius. For India this can be the warning that we are waiting for..