This beautiful creature was photographed at Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve, and was doing an A+ job at remaining not-eaten despite the presence of a crocodile we spotted just a few minutes later.

This water bird hasn’t quite worked out that it is in fact a WATER bird. Most other water birds have evolved water-repellent feathers to allow them to hunt under the surface more easily – not the darter though. Instead, after going for a swim, this bird finds a spot to perch, spreads its wings as wide as it can, and then just sits there until it dries off.

Has this bird mastered the art of taking it slow and living in the moment, or is it just really, really dumb? I’ll leave it up to you to decide.

–

Australasian darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae), Fogg Dam, Australia