Breeding behaviour of the Darter at Lake Cowal, NSW

Abstract

The breeding behaviour of the Darter Anhinga melanogaster was studied between 1970 and 1972 at Lake Cowal, NSW. The male selects the nest-site. Both birds collect material; the female without leaving the nest pulls twigs from branches; the male collects from some distance away. Eggs are laid during each month of the year and the average dutch-size is four. Incubation begins with the first egg and takes twenty-six to thirty days. Both birds incubate. Young are fed by parents by regurgitation until approximately two months old. The diet consists mainly of fish. Losses of eggs were mainly caused by man.