Darter

The Darter in Ancient Egypt

An African Darter is pictured in Tuthmosis III's botanical garden carvings on the walls of his festival hall. Although the darter has never been documented in present-day Egypt, R.E. Moreau has stated that it is virtually certain that the bird lived in the country in the not-too-distant past. Recently, bone remains of the darter have been identified from the dynastic levels at Elephantine, showing that the bird did indeed exist in ancient Egypt, although it must have been rare enough for the pharaoh to display in his collection of exotics.

The Waterfowl of Ancient Egypt