Scientific Name: Anhinga melanogaster

Quite a large water bird – body length approx. 85 – 90cm with a wing span of up to 1.2m.

The Darter hunts for its prey underwater using a spearing action. It floats very low on the water surface, often with its body submerged and only the head and neck visible.

Mostly found in wetlands where the water has a depth of at least half a metre, with well vegetated banks and trees and logs.

Common reason for coming into care is fishing line entanglement and fishing hook damage… the solution? Please always dispose of fishing line correctly.

This area of the website is dedicated to current rescues of injured birds. We are seeking your help…

If you have time to look in your local area or if you accidently come across the birds listed here can you please call our rescue hotline immediately – 0404 118 301. We would ask that you stay with the bird to keep an eye on it. It’s very important that you make no attempt to catch the bird. This will only spook it and make our job of catching it much more difficult.

Please visit back here for updates of new rescues that you may be able to assist us with. Thank you for your time and for caring enough to help our feathered friends.

Our goal is to fill this website with useful contacts and information about the care and conservation of our precious native feathered friends. It doesn’t matter if you are a veteran wildlife carer, you’ve found a Pelican with fishing line caught around its leg, or you simply want help with a school assignment on seabirds… you’re at the right place.

You’ll discover the first thing to do when finding injured or orphaned birds, what you can do to help protect our unique fauna, the latest news on Australian Wildlife, as well as tales from carers as they work to rescue, rehabilitate and release native birds.

Please be sure to keep visiting the site or subscribe to our RSS Feed. That way you’ll be kept up-to-date with new featured articles and content.