View allAll Photos Tagged Anseriformes
Cygne noir - Black Swan Cygnus atratus Latham 1790. Anseriformes : Anatidae.
Cygne tuberculé - Mute Swan Cygnus olor (Gmelin 1803). Anseriformes : Anatidae.
Pato Trombeteiro
(Anas clypeata)
Lagoa da vela
Quiaios
Portugal
Tinha tirado estas fotos há mais de um mês mas não me apercebi que eram Trombeteiros, nem imaginava que fossem.
A semana passada foi com o Romão e o Guerra as estas lagoas e vimos lá Arrábios e Trombeteiros, no entanto as fotos saíram um nojo devido à hora tardia e já sem luz.
Como fiquei curioso vim verificar estas fotos de novo e... lá estavam eles, os Patos- Colhereiros a voarem em formação. A hora também já era tardia mas sempre ficaram melhor do que as que consegui a semana passada.
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All my photos are now organized into sets by the country where they were taken, by taxonomic order, by family, by species (often with just one photo for the rarer ones), and by the date they were taken.
So, you may find:
- All the photos for this order ANSERIFORMES
- All the photos for this family Anatidae (Anatídeos)
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[order] Anseriformes | [family] Anatidae | [latin] Cairina moschata | [UK] Muscovy Duck | [FR] Canard musqué | [DE] Moschusente | [ES] Pato Criollo | [IT] Anatra muta | [NL] Muskuseend
spanwidth min.: 38 cm
spanwidth max.: 48 cm
size min.: 25 cm
size max.: 31 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 35 days
incubation max.: 37 days
fledging min.: 55 days
fledging max.: 65 days
broods 3
eggs min.: 13
eggs max.: 16
Physical characteristics
Muscovy ducks are brownish-black in coloration with iridescent green and purple dorsal plumage and white wing patches. The legs and feet are grayish-black and the iris is yellowish-brown. Males and females are similar in appearance; however, males are nearly twice as large as females. In addition, males have a patch of bare black skin surrounded by pinkish-red caruncles (fleshy outgrowths) which extends from the back of the eye to the bill.
Habitat
Muscovies prefer wetlands near forested areas and nest in tree cavities or nest boxes
Other details
Estimated to have between 100,000-1,000,000 individuals. Currently populations are thought to be declining. Despite a wide distribution, the muscovy duck is only locally common in less populated areas in the eastern part of its range as a result of hunting and habitat loss.
Feeding
Muscovy ducks feed on the roots, stems, leaves, and seeds of aquatic and terrestrial plants, including agricultural crops. They also eat small fishes, reptiles, crustaceans, insects, millipedes, and termites
Conservation
This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 14,000,000 km². It has a large global population estimated to be 100,000-1,000,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2002). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. [conservation status from birdlife.org]
Breeding
The muscovy duck is found in all parts of the world in a domesticated state. Its chief breeding range in the wild includes Central America and northern South America. In North America, muscovies are found locally in Mexico and a small population inhabits southern Texas at the extreme northern edge of its range. Muscovies prefer wetlands near forested areas and nest in tree cavities or nest boxes laying an average of 8 eggs.
Migration
Muscovy ducks are sedentary and do not have established migration patterns. However, they may move in response to fluctuating water conditions. Muscovy ducks are endemic to the Neotropical Realm. They are widespread and fairly common in tropical regions of Mexico, Central America, and South America west of the Andes south to Ecuador, and east of the Andes south to northern Argentina and Uruguay. Originally form South America, some escaped birds have settled on the European continent.
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Anseriformes - Anatidae - Anas - acuta
©2009 by James R. Spitznas / AuLux, all rights reserved. No usage or reproduction allowed in any form without written consent.
A different pair, male leading again and the light bringing up his wonderful colours. An Australasian Grebe photobombing in the middle there.
Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis, drake, diver
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Status: Fairly common winter coast. Rare east.
++++++++++++++++
Formerly known as Oldsquaw, the Long-tailed Duck breeds in the Arctic and winters along both coasts of North America. It is distinctive among ducks in plumage, molt sequences, foraging behavior, and vocalizations. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-tailed_Duck/id
A duck of cold northern waters. Often the most abundant bird in the high Arctic. Large flocks are often far out at sea; many spend the winter on such northern waters as Bering Sea, Hudson Bay, and Great Lakes. Flocks fly low over sea, with stiff shallow wingbeats, often tilting from side to side. Far more vocal than most ducks, and loud melodious calls of flocks can be heard from some distance. It was formerly called "Oldsquaw," not politically correct by any measure, a reference to this "talkative" behavior -- although it is the male of this species that makes most of the noise.
Feeding Behavior
forages by diving and swimming underwater, with wings partly opened but propelled mainly by feet. Most feeding is within 30' of surface; supposedly able to dive more than 200', deeper than any other duck.
image by Photo George
copyrighted: ©2009
All Rights Reserved
locator: NOL_7019 A
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anas
Species: Anas discors
La Chua Trail, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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Welcome to my Flickr 365 Project! I’m calling it my 365 Species Project, because for each day of the year, I will post a photo of a different species of organism... My goal was to accomplish all of this in 2013, but I soon found out that it was more daunting a task than I'd realized. Instead, my new goal is to get through 365 by the end of 2014, still an impressive average of a new species every other day for two years.
We're in the home stretch, now!!! It's December, which means I'm down to my last 31 days to get it all done in 2 years. Somewhat unfortunately, I'm getting slammed at the end of my first semester in graduate school, so the project has really dropped toward the bottom of the old priority list. Nonetheless, I'm going to do my best to get them all in under the wire. Excuse the massive posts!
Class: Aves.
Subclass: Galloanserae.
Superorder: Anserimorphae.
Order: Anseriformes.
Suborder: Anseri.
Superfamily: Anatoidea.
Family: Anatidae.
L'ànec collverd és un ocell aquàtic que fa uns 60 cm de llargada i uns 95 cm amb les ales obertes.
El mascle és de color gris amb el cap verd fosc, el bec groguenc, el pit marronós, el ventre grisós i la cua blanca. Té una franja blavosa lilosa amb els marges blancs a cada ala.
Durant l'estiu canvia el plomatge i el color verdós de coll es torna marronós.
La femella és de color marronós amb taques; té el bec marronós amb els marges ataronjats.
Menja plantes aquàtiques i també granotes i insectes.
Fa el niu entre les herbes dels marges aquàtics o en forats d'arbres i el revesteix de plomissol.
La femella pon entre 7 i 18 ous de color verdós clar i els incuba durant unes 4 setmanes. Els aneguets comencen a volar a les 7 setmanes.
Viu es zones aquàtiques com aiguamolls, estanys, rius, rieres i grans basses.
És un animal tranquil que arriba a viure en zones urbanes (parcs amb petits llacs).
S'aixeca per volar fàcilment des de l'aigua. Vola amb rapidesa.
Viu entre 20 i 30 anys.
El ánade real o azulón es una ave acuática que mide unos 60 cm de largo y unos 95 cm con las alas abiertas.
El macho es de color gris con la cabeza verde oscura, el pico amarillento, el pecho marrón, el vientre grisáceo y la cola blanca. Tiene una franja azul lilosa con los márgenes blancos en cada ala.
Durante el verano cambia el plumaje y el color verdoso del cuello se vuelve marrón.
La hembra es de color marrón con manchas; tiene el pico marronáceo con los márgenes anaranjados.
Come plantas acuáticas y también ranas e insectos.
Construye el nido entre las hierbas de los márgenes acuáticos o en agujeros de árboles y lo reviste de plumón.
La hembra pone entre 7 y 18 huevos de color verdoso claro y los incuba durante unas 4 semanas. Los patitos comienzan en volar a las 7 semanas.
Vive enzonas acuáticas como marismas, estanques, ríos y grandes balsas.
Es un animal tranquilo que llega en vivir en zonas urbanas (parques con pequeños lagos).
Se Levanta para volar fácilmente desde el agua. Vuela con rapidez.
Vive entre 20 y 30 años.
Mute Swan, Order Anseriformes, Family Anatidae, Species Cygnus olor,..
A large, familiar bird, strikingly white and obvious even at great range, Mute Swan is generally quite tame, even semi-domesticated in its behaviour and choice of habitat.
Territorial pairs are aggressive, even to people or their dogs, using impressive displays of arched wings and loud, hissing calls.
In some floodplains, small groups regularly feed on dry land, a habit that is more consistent with the two " wild swans ", Bewick's and Whooper,
Voice - Strangled trumpeting and hissing notes,
Nesting - Huge pile of vegetation at water's edge; up to 8 eggs; 1 brood; March - June.
Feeding - Plucks vegetable matter from short grass in fields and salt marshes, pulls the same from shallow water, or upends in deeper water,..
Length 1.4 - 1.6m,
Wingspan - 2,08 - 2.38m,
Weight - 10 - 12kg,
Lifespan - 15 - 20 years,
Social - Small flocks,
Status - Secure,...
Music, Buffy Sainte-Marie
Title, The Big Ones Get Away,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Goose hunter make use of a hunting blind at Chino Farms in Chestertown, Md., on Jan. 15, 2016. At over 5,000 acres, Chino Farms was the largest single land preservation deal in Maryland's history. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
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Class: Aves.
Subclass: Galloanserae.
Superorder: Anserimorphae.
Order: Anseriformes.
Suborder: Anseri.
Superfamily: Anatoidea.
Family: Anatidae.
L'ànec collverd és un ocell aquàtic que fa uns 60 cm de llargada i uns 95 cm amb les ales obertes.
El mascle és de color gris amb el cap verd fosc, el bec groguenc, el pit marronós, el ventre grisós i la cua blanca. Té una franja blavosa lilosa amb els marges blancs a cada ala.
Durant l'estiu canvia el plomatge i el color verdós de coll es torna marronós.
La femella és de color marronós amb taques; té el bec marronós amb els marges ataronjats.
Menja plantes aquàtiques i també granotes i insectes.
Fa el niu entre les herbes dels marges aquàtics o en forats d'arbres i el revesteix de plomissol.
La femella pon entre 7 i 18 ous de color verdós clar i els incuba durant unes 4 setmanes. Els aneguets comencen a volar a les 7 setmanes.
Viu es zones aquàtiques com aiguamolls, estanys, rius, rieres i grans basses.
És un animal tranquil que arriba a viure en zones urbanes (parcs amb petits llacs).
S'aixeca per volar fàcilment des de l'aigua. Vola amb rapidesa.
Viu entre 20 i 30 anys.
El ánade real o azulón es una ave acuática que mide unos 60 cm de largo y unos 95 cm con las alas abiertas.
El macho es de color gris con la cabeza verde oscura, el pico amarillento, el pecho marrón, el vientre grisáceo y la cola blanca. Tiene una franja azul lilosa con los márgenes blancos en cada ala.
Durante el verano cambia el plumaje y el color verdoso del cuello se vuelve marrón.
La hembra es de color marrón con manchas; tiene el pico marronáceo con los márgenes anaranjados.
Come plantas acuáticas y también ranas e insectos.
Construye el nido entre las hierbas de los márgenes acuáticos o en agujeros de árboles y lo reviste de plumón.
La hembra pone entre 7 y 18 huevos de color verdoso claro y los incuba durante unas 4 semanas. Los patitos comienzan en volar a las 7 semanas.
Vive enzonas acuáticas como marismas, estanques, ríos y grandes balsas.
Es un animal tranquilo que llega en vivir en zonas urbanas (parques con pequeños lagos).
Se Levanta para volar fácilmente desde el agua. Vuela con rapidez.
Vive entre 20 y 30 años.
Thanks for your visit… Any comment you make on my photographs is greatly appreciated and encouraging! But please do not use this image without permission.
Teal,
Order,- Anseriformes,
Family,- Anatidae,
Species,- Anas crecca,
The smallest common surface-feeding duck, the Teal is agile and quick in flight, its movements recalling those of a wader, Nervous groups may often swoop down to a sheltered bay, only to dart over the water surface and wheel up and away once more, sometimes several such approaches precede their eventual settling,
In places, Teal occur in hundreds but 20 - 40 are more typical, scattered along well-vegetated or muddy shores, or in wet marshes,
Voice,- Male has lod, ringing, high-pitched ' cirk crik ' that can be easily heard at long range marshes or estuaeies, female has high quack,
Nesting,- Down-lined hollow near water, 8 - 11 eggs 1 brood, April - June,
Feeding,- Mosly in water or on muddy shores, taking plants and seeds,
Length,- 34 - 38 cm ( 13.5 - 15 in ),
Wingspan,- 58 - 64 cm ( 23 - 25 in ), Weight,- 250 - 400 g ( 9 - 14 oz ).
Social,- Small flocks,
Lifespan,- 10 - 15 years,
Status,- Secure,
Thank you so much for your visits, comments and favs.
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Press L and then F11 to fully enjoy this picture in a large view
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©2017 Bruno Portier, All Rights Reserved. All images of this gallery are not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.
The mallard or wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae. Males have green heads, while the females (hens or ducks) have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes have an area of white-bordered black or iridescent purple or blue feathers called a speculum on their wings; males especially tend to have blue speculum feathers. The mallard is 50–65 cm (20–26 in) long, of which the body makes up around two-thirds the length. The wingspan is 81–98 cm (32–39 in) and the bill is 4.4 to 6.1 cm (1.7 to 2.4 in) long. It is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks, weighing 0.7–1.6 kg (1.5–3.5 lb). Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes.
The female lays 8 to 13 creamy white to greenish-buff spotless eggs, on alternate days. Incubation takes 27 to 28 days and fledging takes 50 to 60 days. The ducklings are precocial and fully capable of swimming as soon as they hatch.
The mallard is considered to be a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Unlike many waterfowl, mallards are considered an invasive species in some regions. It is a very adaptable species, being able to live and even thrive in urban areas which may have supported more localised, sensitive species of waterfowl before development. The non-migratory mallard interbreeds with indigenous wild ducks of closely related species through genetic pollution by producing fertile offspring. Complete hybridisation of various species of wild duck gene pools could result in the extinction of many indigenous waterfowl. This species is the main ancestor of most breeds of domestic duck, and its naturally evolved wild gene pool has been genetically polluted by the domestic and feral mallard populations.
Taxonomy and evolutionary history
The mallard was one of the many bird species originally described in the 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae by Carl Linnaeus. He gave it two binomial names: Anas platyrhynchos and Anas boschas.The latter was generally preferred until 1906 when Einar Lönnberg established that A. platyrhynchos had priority, as it appeared on an earlier page in the text. The scientific name comes from Latin Anas, "duck" and Ancient Greek πλατυρυγχος, platyrhynchus, "broad-billed" (from πλατύς, platys, "broad" and ρυγχός, rhunkhos, "bill"). The genome of Anas platyrhynchos was sequenced in 2013.
The name mallard originally referred to any wild drake, and it is sometimes still used this way. It was derived from the Old French malart or mallart for "wild drake" although its true derivation is unclear. It may be related to, or at least influenced by, an Old High German masculine proper name Madelhart, clues lying in the alternative English forms "maudelard" and "mawdelard". Masle (male) has also been proposed as an influence.
Mallards frequently interbreed with their closest relatives in the genus Anas, such as the American black duck, and also with species more distantly related, such as the northern pintail, leading to various hybrids that may be fully fertile. The mallard has hybridized with more than 40 species in the wild, and an additional 20 species in captivity, though fertile hybrids typically have two Anas parents. Mallards and their domestic conspecifics are fully interfertile; many wild mallard populations in North America contain significant amounts of domestic mallard DNA.
Genetic analysis has shown that certain mallards appear to be closer to their Indo-Pacific relatives, while others are related to their American relatives. Mitochondrial DNA data for the D-loop sequence suggest that mallards may have evolved in the general area of Siberia. Mallard bones rather abruptly appear in food remains of ancient humans and other deposits of fossil bones in Europe, without a good candidate for a local predecessor species. The large Ice Age palaeosubspecies that made up at least the European and West Asian populations during the Pleistocene has been named Anas platyrhynchos palaeoboschas.
Mallards are differentiated in their mitochondrial DNA between North American and Eurasian populations,[19] but the nuclear genome displays a notable lack of genetic structure. Haplotypes typical of American mallard relatives and eastern spot-billed ducks can be found in mallards around the Bering Sea. The Aleutian Islands hold a population of mallards that appear to be evolving towards becoming a subspecies, as gene flow with other populations is very limited.
Also, the paucity of morphological differences between the Old World mallards and the New World mallard demonstrates the extent to which the genome is shared among them such that birds like the Chinese spot-billed duck are highly similar to the Old World mallard, and birds such as the Hawaiian duck are highly similar to the New World mallard.
The size of the mallard varies clinally; for example, birds from Greenland, though larger, have smaller bills, paler plumage, and stockier bodies than birds further south and are sometimes classified as a separate subspecies, the Greenland mallard (A. p. conboschas).
Description
The mallard is a medium-sized waterfowl species that is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks. It is 50–65 cm (20–26 in) long – of which the body makes up around two-thirds – has a wingspan of 81–98 cm (32–39 in),[24]: 505 and weighs 0.7–1.6 kg (1.5–3.5 lb).[25] Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 25.7 to 30.6 cm (10.1 to 12.0 in), the bill is 4.4 to 6.1 cm (1.7 to 2.4 in), and the tarsus is 4.1 to 4.8 cm (1.6 to 1.9 in). The breeding male mallard is unmistakable, with a glossy bottle-green head and a white collar that demarcates the head from the purple-tinged brown breast, grey-brown wings, and a pale grey belly. The rear of the male is black, with white-bordered dark tail feathers. The bill of the male is a yellowish-orange tipped with black, with that of the female generally darker and ranging from black to mottled orange and brown. The female mallard is predominantly mottled, with each individual feather showing sharp contrast from buff to very dark brown, a coloration shared by most female dabbling ducks, and has buff cheeks, eyebrow, throat, and neck, with a darker crown and eye-stripe. Mallards, like other sexually-dimorphic birds, can sometimes go though spontaneous sex reversal, often caused by damaged or nonfunctioning sex organs, such as the ovaries in mallard hens. This phenomenon can cause female mallards to exhibit male plumage, and vice versa (phenotypic feminisation or masculinisation).
Both male and female mallards have distinct iridescent purple-blue speculum feathers edged with white, which are prominent in flight or at rest but temporarily shed during the annual summer moult. Upon hatching, the plumage of the duckling is yellow on the underside and face (with streaks by the eyes) and black on the back (with some yellow spots) all the way to the top and back of the head. Its legs and bill are also black. As it nears a month in age, the duckling's plumage starts becoming drab, looking more like the female, though more streaked, and its legs lose their dark grey colouring. Two months after hatching, the fledgling period has ended, and the duckling is now a juvenile. The duckling is able to fly 50–60 days after hatching. Its bill soon loses its dark grey colouring, and its sex can finally be distinguished visually by three factors: 1) the bill is yellow in males, but black and orange in females; 2) the breast feathers are reddish-brown in males, but brown in females; and 3) in males, the centre tail feather (drake feather) is curled, but in females, the centre tail feather is straight. During the final period of maturity leading up to adulthood (6–10 months of age), the plumage of female juveniles remains the same while the plumage of male juveniles gradually changes to its characteristic colours. This change in plumage also applies to adult mallard males when they transition in and out of their non-breeding eclipse plumage at the beginning and the end of the summer moulting period. The adulthood age for mallards is fourteen months, and the average life expectancy is three years, but they can live to twenty.
Several species of duck have brown-plumaged females that can be confused with the female mallard. The female gadwall (Mareca strepera) has an orange-lined bill, white belly, black and white speculum that is seen as a white square on the wings in flight, and is a smaller bird. More similar to the female mallard in North America are the American black duck (A. rubripes), which is notably darker-hued in both sexes than the mallard, and the mottled duck (A. fulvigula), which is somewhat darker than the female mallard, and with slightly different bare-part colouration and no white edge on the speculum.
Mallards are among the most common bird species to exhibit aberrant colouration, typically due to genetic mutations.[39] The female pictured here is leucistic; leucism in birds often results in 'cream-colored', 'apricot' or muted feathers on certain parts of the body.
In captivity, domestic ducks come in wild-type plumages, white, and other colours. Most of these colour variants are also known in domestic mallards not bred as livestock, but kept as pets, aviary birds, etc., where they are rare but increasing in availability.
A noisy species, the female has the deep quack stereotypically associated with ducks. Male mallards make a sound phonetically similar to that of the female, a typical quack, but it is deeper and quieter compared to that of the female. Research conducted by Middlesex University on two English mallard populations found that the vocalisations of the mallard varies depending on their environment and have something akin to a regional accent, with urban mallards in London being much louder and more vociferous compared to rural mallards in Cornwall, serving as an adaptation to persistent levels of anthropogenic noise.
When incubating a nest, or when offspring are present, females vocalise differently, making a call that sounds like a truncated version of the usual quack. This maternal vocalisation is highly attractive to their young. The repetition and frequency modulation of these quacks form the auditory basis for species identification in offspring, a process known as acoustic conspecific identification. In addition, females hiss if the nest or offspring are threatened or interfered with. When taking off, the wings of a mallard produce a characteristic faint whistling noise.
The mallard is a rare example of both Allen's Rule and Bergmann's Rule in birds. Bergmann's Rule, which states that polar forms tend to be larger than related ones from warmer climates, has numerous examples in birds, as in case of the Greenland mallard which is larger than the mallards further south. Allen's Rule says that appendages like ears tend to be smaller in polar forms to minimise heat loss, and larger in tropical and desert equivalents to facilitate heat diffusion, and that the polar taxa are stockier overall. Examples of this rule in birds are rare as they lack external ears, but the bill of ducks is supplied with a few blood vessels to prevent heat loss, and, as in the Greenland mallard, the bill is smaller than that of birds farther south, illustrating the rule.
Due to the variability of the mallard's genetic code, which gives it its vast interbreeding capability, mutations in the genes that decide plumage colour are very common and have resulted in a wide variety of hybrids, such as Brewer's duck (mallard × gadwall, Mareca strepera).
Distribution and habitat
The mallard is widely distributed across the Northern and Southern Hemispheres; in North America its range extends from southern and central Alaska to Mexico, the Hawaiian Islands, across the Palearctic, from Iceland and southern Greenland and parts of Morocco (North Africa) in the west, Scandinavia and Britain to the north, and to Siberia, Japan, and South Korea. Also in the east, it ranges to south-eastern and south-western Australia and New Zealand in the Southern hemisphere. It is strongly migratory in the northern parts of its breeding range, and winters farther south. For example, in North America, it winters south to the southern United States and northern Mexico, but also regularly strays into Central America and the Caribbean between September and May. A drake later named "Trevor" attracted media attention in 2018 when it turned up on the island of Niue, an atypical location for mallards.
The mallard inhabits a wide range of habitats and climates, from the Arctic tundra to subtropical regions. It is found in both fresh- and salt-water wetlands, including parks, small ponds, rivers, lakes and estuaries, as well as shallow inlets and open sea within sight of the coastline. Water depths of less than 0.9 metres (3.0 ft) are preferred, with birds avoiding areas more than a few metres deep. They are attracted to bodies of water with aquatic vegetation.
Behaviour
The mallard is omnivorous and very flexible in its choice of food. Its diet may vary based on several factors, including the stage of the breeding cycle, short-term variations in available food, nutrient availability, and interspecific and intraspecific competition. The majority of the mallard's diet seems to be made up of gastropods, insects (including beetles, flies, lepidopterans, dragonflies, and caddisflies), crustaceans, other arthropods, worms, many varieties of seeds and plant matter, and roots and tubers. During the breeding season, male birds were recorded to have eaten 37.6% animal matter and 62.4% plant matter, most notably the grass Echinochloa crus-galli, and nonlaying females ate 37.0% animal matter and 63.0% plant matter, while laying females ate 71.9% animal matter and only 28.1% plant matter. Plants generally make up the larger part of a bird's diet, especially during autumn migration and in the winter.
The mallard usually feeds by dabbling for plant food or grazing; there are reports of it eating frogs. However, in 2017 a flock of mallards in Romania were observed hunting small migratory birds, including grey wagtails and black redstarts, the first documented occasion they had been seen attacking and consuming large vertebrates. It usually nests on a river bank, but not always near water. It is highly gregarious outside of the breeding season and forms large flocks, which are known as "sordes".
Breeding
Mallards usually form pairs (in October and November in the Northern Hemisphere) until the female lays eggs at the start of the nesting season, which is around the beginning of spring. At this time she is left by the male who joins up with other males to await the moulting period, which begins in June (in the Northern Hemisphere). During the brief time before this, however, the males are still sexually potent and some of them either remain on standby to sire replacement clutches (for female mallards that have lost or abandoned their previous clutch) or forcibly mate with females that appear to be isolated or unattached regardless of their species and whether or not they have a brood of ducklings.
Nesting sites are typically on the ground, hidden in vegetation where the female's speckled plumage serves as effective camouflage, but female mallards have also been known to nest in hollows in trees, boathouses, roof gardens and on balconies, sometimes resulting in hatched offspring having difficulty following their parent to water.
Egg clutches number 8–13 creamy white to greenish-buff eggs free of speckles. They measure about 58 mm (2.3 in) in length and 32 mm (1.3 in) in width.[90] The eggs are laid on alternate days, and incubation begins when the clutch is almost complete. Incubation takes 27–28 days and fledging takes 50–60 days. The ducklings are precocial and fully capable of swimming as soon as they hatch. However, filial imprinting compels them to instinctively stay near the mother, not only for warmth and protection but also to learn about and remember their habitat as well as how and where to forage for food. Though adoptions are known to occur, female mallards typically do not tolerate stray ducklings near their broods, and will violently attack and drive away any unfamiliar young, sometimes going as far as to kill them.
When ducklings mature into flight-capable juveniles, they learn about and remember their traditional migratory routes (unless they are born and raised in captivity). In New Zealand, where mallards are naturalised, the nesting season has been found to be longer, eggs and clutches are larger and nest survival is generally greater compared with mallards in their native range.
In cases where a nest or brood fails, some mallards may mate for a second time in an attempt to raise a second clutch, typically around early-to-mid summer. In addition, mallards may occasionally breed during the autumn in cases of unseasonably warm weather; one such instance of a 'late' clutch occurred in November 2011, in which a female successfully hatched and raised a clutch of eleven ducklings at the London Wetland Centre.
During the breeding season, both male and female mallards can become aggressive, driving off competitors to themselves or their mate by charging at them. Males tend to fight more than females and attack each other by repeatedly pecking at their rival's chest, ripping out feathers and even skin on rare occasions. Female mallards are also known to carry out 'inciting displays', which encourage other ducks in the flock to begin fighting. It is possible that this behaviour allows the female to evaluate the strength of potential partners.
The drakes that end up being left out after the others have paired off with mating partners sometimes target an isolated female duck, even one of a different species, and proceed to chase and peck at her until she weakens, at which point the males take turns copulating with the female. Lebret (1961) calls this behaviour "Attempted Rape Flight", and Stanley Cramp and K.E.L. Simmons (1977) speak of "rape-intent flights". Male mallards also occasionally chase other male ducks of a different species, and even each other, in the same way. In one documented case of "homosexual necrophilia", a male mallard copulated with another male he was chasing after the chased male died upon flying into a glass window. This paper was awarded an Ig Nobel Prize in 2003.
Mallards are opportunistically targeted by brood parasites, occasionally having eggs laid in their nests by redheads, ruddy ducks, lesser scaup, gadwalls, northern shovelers, northern pintails, cinnamon teal, common goldeneyes, and other mallards. These eggs are generally accepted when they resemble the eggs of the host mallard, but the hen may attempt to eject them or even abandon the nest if parasitism occurs during egg laying.
Predators and threats
In addition to human hunting, mallards of all ages (but especially young ones) and in all locations must contend with a wide diversity of predators including raptors and owls, mustelids, corvids, snakes, raccoons, opossums, skunks, turtles, large fish, felids, and canids, the last two including domestic cats and dogs. The most prolific natural predators of adult mallards are red foxes (Vulpes vulpes; which most often pick off brooding females) and the faster or larger birds of prey, (e.g. peregrine falcons, Aquila or Haliaeetus eagles). In North America, adult mallards face no fewer than 15 species of birds of prey, from northern harriers (Circus hudsonius) and short-eared owls (Asio flammeus) (both smaller than a mallard) to huge bald (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), and about a dozen species of mammalian predators, not counting several more avian and mammalian predators who threaten eggs and nestlings.
Mallards are also preyed upon by other waterside apex predators, such as grey herons (Ardea cinerea), great blue herons (Ardea herodias) and black-crowned night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax), the European herring gull (Larus argentatus), the wels catfish (Silurus glanis), and the northern pike (Esox lucius). Crows (Corvus spp.) are also known to kill ducklings and adults on occasion. Also, mallards may be attacked by larger anseriformes such as swans (Cygnus spp.) and geese during the breeding season, and are frequently driven off by these birds over territorial disputes. Mute swans (Cygnus olor) have been known to attack or even kill mallards if they feel that the ducks pose a threat to their offspring. Common loons (Gavia inmer) are similarly territorial and aggressive towards other birds in such disputes, and will frequently drive mallards away from their territory. However, in 2019, a pair of common loons in Wisconsin were observed raising a mallard duckling for several weeks, having seemingly adopted the bird after it had been abandoned by its parents.
The predation-avoidance behaviour of sleeping with one eye open, allowing one brain hemisphere to remain aware while the other half sleeps, was first demonstrated in mallards, although it is believed to be widespread among birds in general.
Status and conservation
Since 1998, the mallard has been rated as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. This is because it has a large range–more than 20,000,000 km2 (7,700,000 mi2) and because its population is increasing, rather than declining by 30% over ten years or three generations and thus is not warranted a vulnerable rating. Also, the population size of the mallard is very large.
Unlike many waterfowl, mallards have benefited from human alterations to the world – so much so that they are now considered an invasive species in some regions. They are a common sight in urban parks, lakes, ponds, and other human-made water features in the regions they inhabit, and are often tolerated or encouraged in human habitat due to their placid nature towards humans and their beautiful and iridescent colours. While most are not domesticated, mallards are so successful at coexisting in human regions that the main conservation risk they pose comes from the loss of genetic diversity among a region's traditional ducks once humans and mallards colonise an area. Mallards are very adaptable, being able to live and even thrive in urban areas which may have supported more localised, sensitive species of waterfowl before development. The release of feral mallards in areas where they are not native sometimes creates problems through interbreeding with indigenous waterfowl. These non-migratory mallards interbreed with indigenous wild ducks from local populations of closely related species through genetic pollution by producing fertile offspring. Complete hybridisation of various species of wild duck gene pools could result in the extinction of many indigenous waterfowl. The mallard itself is the ancestor of most domestic ducks, and its naturally evolved wild gene pool gets genetically polluted in turn by the domestic and feral populations. Over time, a continuum of hybrids ranging between almost typical examples of either species develop; the speciation process is beginning to reverse itself. This has created conservation concerns for relatives of the mallard, such as the Hawaiian duck, the New Zealand grey duck (A. s. superciliosa) subspecies of the Pacific black duck, the American black duck, the mottled duck, Meller's duck, the yellow-billed duck, and the Mexican duck, in the latter case even leading to a dispute as to whether these birds should be considered a species (and thus entitled to more conservation research and funding) or included in the mallard species. Ecological changes and hunting have also led to a decline of local species; for example, the New Zealand grey duck population declined drastically due to overhunting in the mid-20th century. Hybrid offspring of Hawaiian ducks seem to be less well adapted to native habitat, and using them in re-introduction projects apparently reduces success. In summary, the problems of mallards "hybridising away" relatives is more a consequence of local ducks declining than of mallards spreading; allopatric speciation and isolating behaviour have produced today's diversity of mallard-like ducks despite the fact that, in most, if not all, of these populations, hybridisation must have occurred to some extent.
Invasiveness
Mallards are causing severe "genetic pollution" to South Africa's biodiversity by breeding with endemic ducks even though the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds – an agreement to protect the local waterfowl populations – applies to the mallard as well as other ducks.[131] The hybrids of mallards and the yellow-billed duck are fertile, capable of producing hybrid offspring. If this continues, only hybrids occur and in the long term result in the extinction of various indigenous waterfowl. The mallard can crossbreed with 63 other species, posing a severe threat to indigenous waterfowl's genetic integrity. Mallards and their hybrids compete with indigenous birds for resources, including nest sites, roosting sites, and food.
Availability of mallards, mallard ducklings, and fertilised mallard eggs for public sale and private ownership, either as poultry or as pets, is currently legal in the United States, except for the state of Florida, which has currently banned domestic ownership of mallards. This is to prevent hybridisation with the native mottled duck.
The mallard is considered an invasive species in Australia and New Zealand, where it competes with the Pacific black duck (known as the grey duck locally in New Zealand) which was over-hunted in the past. There, and elsewhere, mallards are spreading with increasing urbanisation and hybridising with local relatives.
The eastern or Chinese spot-billed duck is currently introgressing into the mallard populations of the Primorsky Krai, possibly due to habitat changes from global warming. The Mariana mallard was a resident allopatric population – in most respects a good species – apparently initially derived from mallard-Pacific black duck hybrids; it became extinct in the late 20th century.
The Laysan duck is an insular relative of the mallard, with a very small and fluctuating population. Mallards sometimes arrive on its island home during migration, and can be expected to occasionally have remained and hybridised with Laysan ducks as long as these species have existed. However, these hybrids are less well adapted to the peculiar ecological conditions of Laysan Island than the local ducks, and thus have lower fitness. Laysan ducks were found throughout the Hawaiian archipelago before 400 AD, after which they suffered a rapid decline during the Polynesian colonisation.Now, their range includes only Laysan Island. It is one of the successfully translocated birds, after having become nearly extinct in the early 20th century.
Relationship with humans
Mallards have often been ubiquitous in their regions among the ponds, rivers, and streams of human parks, farms, and other human-made waterways – even to the point of visiting water features in human courtyards.
George Hetzel, mallard still life painting, 1883–1884
Mallards have had a long relationship with humans. Almost all domestic duck breeds derive from the mallard, with the exception of a few Muscovy breeds, and are listed under the trinomial name A. p. domesticus. Mallards are generally monogamous while domestic ducks are mostly polygamous. Domestic ducks have no territorial behaviour and are less aggressive than mallards. Domestic ducks are mostly kept for meat; their eggs are also eaten, and have a strong flavour. They were first domesticated in Southeast Asia at least 4,000 years ago, during the Neolithic Age, and were also farmed by the Romans in Europe, and the Malays in Asia. As the domestic duck and the mallard are the same species as each other, it is common for mallards to mate with domestic ducks and produce hybrid offspring that are fully fertile. Because of this, mallards have been found to be contaminated with the genes of the domestic duck.
While the keeping of domestic breeds is more popular, pure-bred mallards are sometimes kept for eggs and meat, although they may require wing clipping to restrict flying.
Hunting
Mallards are one of the most common varieties of ducks hunted as a sport due to the large population size. The ideal location for hunting mallards is considered to be where the water level is somewhat shallow where the birds can be found foraging for food. Hunting mallards might cause the population to decline in some places, at some times, and with some populations. In certain countries, the mallard may be legally shot but is protected under national acts and policies. For example, in the United Kingdom, the mallard is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which restricts certain hunting methods or taking or killing mallards.
As food
Since ancient times, the mallard has been eaten as food. The wild mallard was eaten in Neolithic Greece. Usually, only the breast and thigh meat is eaten. It does not need to be hung before preparation, and is often braised or roasted, sometimes flavoured with bitter orange or with port.
[order] ANSERIFORMES | [family] Anatidae | [latin] Branta bernicla | [UK] Brant Goose | [FR] Bernache cravant | [DE] Ringelgans | [ES] Barnacla de Cara Negra | [NL] Rotgans |
Measurements
spanwidth min.: 105 cm
spanwidth max.: 117 cm
size min.: 55 cm
size max.: 62 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 24 days
incubation max.: 26 days
fledging min.: 36 days
fledging max.: 26 days
broods 1
eggs min.: 6
eggs max.: 10
Light-bellied Brent Goose
Branta bernicla hrota
Cadhan
This population winters almost entirely in Ireland, with small numbers in parts of Britain and France.
Status: Winter migrant from high-Arctic Canada. Most occur in Ireland between October and April.
Conservation Concern: Amber-listed as the majority winter at less than ten sites. The Irish population is also internationally significant, another amber listing criterion. The European population has been evaluated as Vulnerable as several important populations declined.
Identification: Small dark goose, with a black head, neck and breast, and dark-brown upperparts and pale underparts. Almost whitish flanks, and small white crescent on the upperparts of the neck visible at close range.
Similar Species: Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Black Brant, Barnacle Goose
Call: Gutteral 'rhut, rhut'
Diet: During the winter, it feeds mostly on eel-grass, which grows on muddy estuaries, and also on grasslands, usually when coastal supplies have been depleted at estuarine sites.
Breeding: Nests in small, loose colonies by coastal tundra, with pools and small inlets.
Wintering: Mostly found on coastal estuaries during the autumn and early winter, and also on grasslands from mid-winter, until departure for the breeding grounds begins in late April.
Where to See: Highest numbers (c. 30,000) are seen at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland in October, where most congregate on arrival. Thereafter, they move to other estuarine sites. Lough Foyle in County Derry, Dublin Bay in County Dublin, Tralee Bay, Lough Gill & Akeragh Lough in County Kerry, Rogerstown Estuary in County Dublin, Wexford Harbour & Slobs in County Wexford are other well-used sites (1,000-3,500 birds).
Physical characteristics
The Brant is similar in appearance to the Canada Goose, but smaller and darker. The adult has a gray belly and breast, white rump, and black neck and head with a thin white necklace and no chin-strap.
Fast fliers with swept-back wings, Brant are usually found in a flock. They forage while wading, dabbling in shallow water, or while walking on mudflats or the shore. They display strong site-fidelity to both their wintering and nesting areas.
Habitat
Brant are almost exclusively coastal in their range and are found in shallow bays and saltwater marshes. They nest in the wet, coastal tundra of the high Arctic. Their winter habitat is closely tied to the occurrence of sea grasses and marine algae.
Other details
Branta bernicla is a rare breeder in the European Arctic, but winters mainly in coastal areas of western Europe, which accounts for less than half of its global wintering range. Its European wintering population is large (>240,000 individuals), and increased between 1970-1990. Although a few populations increased or were broadly stable during 1990-2000, key wintering populations (of the subspecies B. b. bernicla) in the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands declined, and the species underwent a large decline (>30%) overall.
This goose is breeding on the arctic coasts of Eurasia and North America, mainly on small islets protected from polar foxes (Alopex lagopus). It winters along the temperate Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The birds visiting the European Union belong to three different populations (Scott & Rose). The first population, estimated at 20000 individuals, comprises the white-bellied birds of the race hrota, breeding in Greenland and northern Canada and wintering in Ireland. The second population, estimated at 5000 individuals, comprises the birds of the race hrota breeding on Svalbard and wintering in Denmark and north-eastern England. The third population, estimated at 300000 individuals, comprises the dark-bellied birds of the nominate race, breeding along the Russian coasts and wintering in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, south-western England and France. All three populations have undergone important fluctuations. The nominate race has experienced a 90% decline during the 1930s following a disease of its foodplant, Zostera marina. It has started to recover since the 1950s, and the increase is still in progress. The populations of Canada and Greenland have increased since the 1960s and seem currently to be stable. The population of Svalbard dropped from about 40000-50000 to a mere 2000 at the end of the 1960s, not only because of the disease of Zostera but also because of non sustainable hunting. Since the 1970s it has recovered
Feeding
Historically, Brant fed almost exclusively on eelgrass, which is still strongly preferred when available. Now they also forage on grasslands and have been able to diversify their diet in the absence of eelgrass, although their range is still closely tied to eelgrass. Brant also eat some aquatic invertebrates.
Conservation
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence 30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern. [conservation status from birdlife.org]
Breeding
Long-term pair bonds usually form on the wintering grounds. Nesting occurs in loose colonies, on small islands in tundra ponds. The breeding range of the Brant is typically within five miles of the coast. The nest is a shallow bowl of grass and other vegetation, lined with down. The female incubates 3 to 5 eggs for 22 to 24 days. The young leave the nest within a day of hatching, and both parents continue to tend them and lead them to sources of food. During the long days of the high-Arctic summer, the young feed at all hours, and grow quickly. They fledge at 40 to 50 days, but stay with the parents through the first migration.
Migration
Single wholly migratory population. Depart Russian tundras mid-August to 1st week September. Main route west along arctic coasts to White Sea, then overland to Gulfs of Finland and Bothnia. Passage through Baltic mid-September to early October; first arrivals Denmark late September but bulk October. Some stay Denmark and western Germany through November before moving on in colder weather; others go straight to winter quarters in Netherlands, south-east England, and west France, where peak numbers December-February. Return passage begins early March; most leave England and France by mid-April. Spring gatherings in Netherlands, Denmark and western Germany until main departures in mid-May; only stragglers after mid-June.
Mute Swan, Order Anseriformes, Family Anatidae, Species Cygnus olor,..
A large, familiar bird, strikingly white and obvious even at great range, Mute Swan is generally quite tame, even semi-domesticated in its behaviour and choice of habitat.
Territorial pairs are aggressive, even to people or their dogs, using impressive displays of arched wings and loud, hissing calls.
In some floodplains, small groups regularly feed on dry land, a habit that is more consistent with the two " wild swans ", Bewick's and Whooper,
Voice - Strangled trumpeting and hissing notes,
Nesting - Huge pile of vegetation at water's edge; up to 8 eggs; 1 brood; March - June.
Feeding - Plucks vegetable matter from short grass in fields and salt marshes, pulls the same from shallow water, or upends in deeper water,..
Length 1.4 - 1.6m,
Wingspan - 2,08 - 2.38m,
Weight - 10 - 12kg,
Lifespan - 15 - 20 years,
Social - Small flocks,
Status - Secure,...
Praia de Faro, Faro, Portugal
[order] Anseriformes | [family] Anatidae | [latin] Anas querquedula | [UK] Garganey | [FR] Sarcelle d'été | [DE] Knäkente | [ES] Cerceta Carretona | [IT] Marzaiola | [NL] Zomertaling
Measurements
spanwidth min.: 59 cm
spanwidth max.: 67 cm
size min.: 37 cm
size max.: 41 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 21 days
incubation max.: 23 days
fledging min.: 35 days
fledging max.: 40 days
broods 1
eggs min.: 7
eggs max.: 10
Physical characteristics
Small, slightly built, and slender-necked dabbling duck with rather flat crown and straight bill. Males has broad white supercilium, otherwise mottled brown head, breast, upperparts, and stern, contrasting with greyish flanks and white belly, long black and white scapulars, and pale blue-grey forewing. Female resembles female Teal but rather paler and head more patterned, with pale patch at base of longer bill, more distinct dark crown and eyestripe contrasting with light supercilium and further stripe across lower face. Speculum dull green edged in front and more narrowly behind with white. In flight, greyish (but not blue-grey) forewing and indistinct greenish-brown speculum characteristic.
Habitat
Distinguished among genus as fully migratory, whole population changing habitat seasonally throughout west Palearctic. Breeds mainly within Mediterranean, steppe, and temperate climatic zones, with some overspill north into boreal and south into desert fringes. In west Palearctic, makes only brief localized use of marine or even of tidal estuarine habitats. Favours narrow or well compartmented, sheltered, and shallow standing fresh waters, merging into grassland, floodland, or other wetland, with plenty of floating and emergent vegetation, but not too tall or dense, unbroken, fringing cover. Habitat outside breeding season similar, but where suitable equivalents unavailable temporarily uses more exposed and poorer waters, or small ponds, ditches, and irrigation pools.
Other details
This species breeding in the temperate regions of Eurasia is totally migratory, and its European population is wintering entirely in sub-Saharan West Africa. It is still estimated at 2000000 individuals, but seems to decline following loss of habitat in the breeding areas by reclamation of wetlands or transformation into artificial lakes. In Africa also its wintering areas are threatened by reclamation and expansion of rice cultiv
Feeding
Animal and plant materials collected mainly while swimming with head under water, somewhat less often up-ending briefly, and from surface. Often also snaps at individual items on or flying above surface.
Conservation
This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 1,000,000-10,000,000 km². It has a large global population estimated to be 2,500,000-4,800,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2002). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. [conservation status from birdlife.org]
Breeding
Nest is build on ground in thick vegetation, grass, or rush tussocks. Usually close to water, within 20 m, rarely over 100 m. The species breeds in single pairs, not colonial. Nest is a shallow depression lined with leaves and grass. Clutch size is 8-9 eggs, rarely 6 or up to 14. Incubation period lasts 21-23 days and is carried out by the female. The young fledge after 35-40 days. This species is sexually mature at 1 year.
Migration
Highly migratory, wintering chiefly in sub-Saharan Africa, Indian subcontinent and SE Asia. Has occurred Azores. Iceland, Hawaii and Aleutian Is; also a few records from North Africa, particularly W coast.
Orden:Anseriformes
Familia:Anatidae
Género:Aix
Nombre común: Pato mandarín macho
Nombre científico:Aix galericulata
Nombre en Ingles:Mandarín Duck male
Lugar de Captura. Beijing, China
Por: Cimarron mayor Panta.
Orden:Anseriformes
Familia:Anatidae
Género:Aix
Nombre común: Pato mandarín macho
Nombre científico:Aix galericulata
Nombre en Ingles:Mandarín Duck male
Lugar de Captura. Beijing, China
Por: Cimarron mayor Panta.
[order] Anseriformes | [family] Anatidae | [latin] Cygnus cygnus | [UK] Whooper Swan | [FR] Cygne chanteur | [DE] Singschwan | [ES] Cisne Cantor | [IT] Cigno selvatico | [NL] Wilde Zwaan | [IRL] Eala Ghlórach
spanwidth min.: 205 cm
spanwidth max.: 235 cm
size min.: 140 cm
size max.: 160 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 31 days
incubation max.: 42 days
fledging min.: 78 days
fledging max.: 96 days
broods 1
eggs min.: 3
eggs max.: 5
Physical characteristics
Size is similar to the Mute Swan, but there are noticeable differences. Whooper Swans have a yellow and black beak, a more rigid neck bearing in activiy as well as at rest, and, finally, their wings produce a musical sound when they fly. Their feathers are entirely white and their webbed feet are black. Juveniles show a greyish brown plumage. After one year, they get their adult one.
The Whooper Swan can also be mistaken for the Bewick Swan whose he's very close. There are two ways to differentiate them: the Whooper Swan is much bigger, with a longer neck and a more angulous head, and the beak's yellow/black layout is different. While the Whooper's Swan beak looks globally yellow with just a black tip, the Bewick's Swan's one is mainly black with a yellow base, sometimes half yellow, half black. Unlike the Mute Swan, it never raises its wings above its back when it swims and its neck is straighter.
Habitat
Winters on low agricultural land, generally not far from coast. Breeds in northern zones, on shallow fresh waters: pools, lakes and rivers in wooded country. Rarely in tundra.
Other details
Cygnus cygnus breeds mainly in Iceland, Fennoscandia and northern Russia, but winters patchily across much of Europe, which constitutes >50% of its global wintering range. Its European wintering population is relatively large (>65,000 individuals), and was stable between 1970-1990. Although there were declines in a handful of countries during 1990-2000, most European wintering populations-including key ones in Denmark and Germany-were broadly stable or increased, and the species underwent a large increase overall.
Whooper Swans nest mainly in Eurasian boreal regions. They split in three distinct groups. The most occidental one, with a stable population of about 16 000 individuals, nests in Iceland. The central one nests in Scandinavia and Occidental Russia. It is estimated at 59 000 individuals, regularly increasing. The most oriental group is located in Siberia. Its population, estimated at 17 000 individuals, is probably decreasing. These groups migrate south beginning autumn with the first cold days. The occidental group leaves Iceland for the British Isles, North Sea and Channel coasts, as far as the farthest point of Brittany. The oriental group sets up on Caspian and Black Sea shores. The Scandinavian group is the one that has the shortest migration. During winter, Whooper Swans, like Bewick Swans, spend a great deal of time grazing.
Feeding
Essentially vegetarian. It eats aquatic plants and uses all parts of it (stems, leaves, roots, shoots). It also graze in prairies, like geese. It may eat small invertebrates, but it's a minor part of their diet.
Conservation
This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 10,000,000 km². It has a large global population estimated to be 180,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2002). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. [conservation status from birdlife.org]
Breeding
Pairs unite for lifetime. Males are very active in nest building. Their nest is bulky and made essentially with stems and leaves. The bottom is covered with twigs, leaves and feathers. In April-May, the female lays 4 to 7 eggs and sits on for 5 to 6 weeks. Chicks are precocious and are carried on the female's back under the male's aggressive watch and protection. Taking flight occurs 87 to 90 days after hatching.
Migration
Migratory. Part of Icelandic population remains in winter. Migrates southwards to temperate areas, sporadically in more southern latitudes in cold winters; vagrant to USA and Pakistan.
The largest amount of Whoopers I've ever seen in Ireland to date of photograph
www.irishbirding.com/birds/web/Display/sighting/42692/Who...
[order] Anseriformes | [family] Anatidae | [latin] Cygnus cygnus | [UK] Whooper Swan | [FR] Cygne chanteur | [DE] Singschwan | [ES] Cisne Cantor | [IT] Cigno selvatico | [NL] Wilde Zwaan | [IRL] Eala Ghlórach
spanwidth min.: 205 cm
spanwidth max.: 235 cm
size min.: 140 cm
size max.: 160 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 31 days
incubation max.: 42 days
fledging min.: 78 days
fledging max.: 96 days
broods 1
eggs min.: 3
eggs max.: 5
Physical characteristics
Size is similar to the Mute Swan, but there are noticeable differences. Whooper Swans have a yellow and black beak, a more rigid neck bearing in activiy as well as at rest, and, finally, their wings produce a musical sound when they fly. Their feathers are entirely white and their webbed feet are black. Juveniles show a greyish brown plumage. After one year, they get their adult one.
The Whooper Swan can also be mistaken for the Bewick Swan whose he's very close. There are two ways to differentiate them: the Whooper Swan is much bigger, with a longer neck and a more angulous head, and the beak's yellow/black layout is different. While the Whooper's Swan beak looks globally yellow with just a black tip, the Bewick's Swan's one is mainly black with a yellow base, sometimes half yellow, half black. Unlike the Mute Swan, it never raises its wings above its back when it swims and its neck is straighter.
Habitat
Winters on low agricultural land, generally not far from coast. Breeds in northern zones, on shallow fresh waters: pools, lakes and rivers in wooded country. Rarely in tundra.
Other details
Cygnus cygnus breeds mainly in Iceland, Fennoscandia and northern Russia, but winters patchily across much of Europe, which constitutes >50% of its global wintering range. Its European wintering population is relatively large (>65,000 individuals), and was stable between 1970-1990. Although there were declines in a handful of countries during 1990-2000, most European wintering populations-including key ones in Denmark and Germany-were broadly stable or increased, and the species underwent a large increase overall.
Whooper Swans nest mainly in Eurasian boreal regions. They split in three distinct groups. The most occidental one, with a stable population of about 16 000 individuals, nests in Iceland. The central one nests in Scandinavia and Occidental Russia. It is estimated at 59 000 individuals, regularly increasing. The most oriental group is located in Siberia. Its population, estimated at 17 000 individuals, is probably decreasing. These groups migrate south beginning autumn with the first cold days. The occidental group leaves Iceland for the British Isles, North Sea and Channel coasts, as far as the farthest point of Brittany. The oriental group sets up on Caspian and Black Sea shores. The Scandinavian group is the one that has the shortest migration. During winter, Whooper Swans, like Bewick Swans, spend a great deal of time grazing.
Feeding
Essentially vegetarian. It eats aquatic plants and uses all parts of it (stems, leaves, roots, shoots). It also graze in prairies, like geese. It may eat small invertebrates, but it's a minor part of their diet.
Conservation
This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 10,000,000 km². It has a large global population estimated to be 180,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2002). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. [conservation status from birdlife.org]
Breeding
Pairs unite for lifetime. Males are very active in nest building. Their nest is bulky and made essentially with stems and leaves. The bottom is covered with twigs, leaves and feathers. In April-May, the female lays 4 to 7 eggs and sits on for 5 to 6 weeks. Chicks are precocious and are carried on the female's back under the male's aggressive watch and protection. Taking flight occurs 87 to 90 days after hatching.
Migration
Migratory. Part of Icelandic population remains in winter. Migrates southwards to temperate areas, sporadically in more southern latitudes in cold winters; vagrant to USA and Pakistan.
Ordnung:
Anseriformes
Familie :
Anatidae
Gattung:
Anas
Wissenschaftlich :
Anas platyrhynchos
Zitat:
Linnaeus, 1758
Referenz:
Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.125
Protonym:
Anas platyrhynchos
Avibase ID:
D6F5A788399B36E7
Kurzlink:
Taxonomic Serial Number:
TSN: 175063
Afrikaans: Groenkopeend
Arabisch: البُركة, البُركة بو الخصيف, الخضيري
Asturian: Coríu Rial
Aserbaidschanisch: Yaşılbaş ördək
Weißrussisch: Качка-крыжанка, Крыжанка
Bulgarisch: Зеленоглава патица
Bengali: নীলমাথা হাঁস
Bretonisch: An houad-korz, Houad, Houad-korz
Katalanisch: Ànec collverd, Ànec coll-verd, Collverd, Coll-verd
Catalan (Balears): Collverd
Valencian: Coll-verd
Tschechisch: Kachna divoká
Tschuwaschisch: Кăвакал-хай
Walisisch: Cors hwyad, Corshwyaden, Garan hwyad, Hwyaden wyllt
Dänisch: Gråand
Deutsch: Laysanente, Stockente, Stockente-platyrhynchus
Griechisch: [prasinokefali], Πρασινοκέφαλη, Πρασινοκέφαλη Πάπια
Greek (Cypriot): Πρασινοτζέφαλη
Englisch: Common mallard, Green-headed Duck, Green-headed mallard, Greenland, Mallard, Mallard Duck, Mallard or Mexican Duck, Mexican Duck, New Mexican Duck, Northern mallard
English (Kenya): Mallard
English (Philippines): Mallard
Esperanto: Platbeka anaso
Spanisch: Anade Azulón, Ánade azulón, Anade real, Ánade Real, Azulón, Pato Cabeciverde, Pato de Collar, Pato Inglés, Pato Real
Spanish (Argentine): Ánade Real, Azulón
Spanish (Chile): Pato de collar
Spanish (Colombia): Pato doméstico, Pato Real
Spanish (Costa Rica): Pato Cabeciverde
Spanish (Cuba): Pato Inglés
Spanish (Dominican Rep.): Pato Inglés
Spanish (Spain): Ánade Azulón
Spanish (Honduras): Pato de collar
Spanish (Mexico): Pato de Collar
Spanish (Nicaragua): Pato Cabeciverde
Spanish (Panama): Pato Cabeciverde
Spanish (Puerto Rico): Pato Cabeciverde
Spanish (Uruguay): Pato Cabeciverde
Estnisch: sinikael-part
Baskisch: Ànec collverd, Basahate, Basahatea
Finnisch: Heinä- eli sinisorsa, Sinisorsa
Färöisch: Stokkont, Stokk-ont, Villdunna
Französisch: Canard colvert, Canard colvert ou C. du Mexique, Canard malard
Friulisch: Masurin, Mazar, Mazorin, Raze grande
Friesisch: Wylde ein
Irisch: Lacha Fhiáin, Mallard
Gälisch-Schottisch: Lach, Lacha Chinn Naine, Tunnag Fhiadhaich
Galicisch: Alavanco real, Ànec collverd, Lavanco, Pato real
Manx: Laagh Voirrey, Thunnag Feie
Haitian Creole French: Kanna kolvèt
Hebräisch: ברכיה, ברכייה
Kroatisch: Divlja Patka
Ungarisch: Tokés réce, Tõkés réce, Tőkés réce
Armenisch: [Krnchan Bud ], Կռնչան Բադ
Indonesisch: Itik kalung
Isländisch: Stokkönd
Italienisch: Germano reale
Inuktitut: Qeerlutooq
Japanisch: Ao-kubi, Hon-gamo, magamo, Ma-gamo
Japanisch: アオクビ, ホンガモ, マガモ
Japanese (Kanji): 本鴨, 真鴨, 青首
Georgisch: გარეული იხვი
Khakas: Сас öртек, Чазы öртегi
Kasachisch: Барылдауық үйрек
Kazakh (Transliteration): barıldawık üyrek
Koreanisch: 청둥오리
Korean (Transliteration): cheongdung-ori
Kaschmiri: [Nilij]
Kornisch: Hos gwyls, Mallart
Latein: Anas [platyrhynchos or diazi], Anas boschas, Anas platyrhynchos, Anas platyrhynchos or diazi, Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos
Luxemburgisch: Wëll Int
Ladin: Anera salvaria
Litauisch: Didžioji antis
Lettisch: Meža pīle
Makedonisch: Дива патка, Патка глуварка
Mongolisch: Зэрлэг нугас
Mongolian (Bichig): ᠵᠠᠷᠯᠢᠭ᠌ ᠨᠣᠭᠣᠰᠣ
Mongolian (Buryat): Һоно нугаһан
Mongolian (Bichig, Inner Mongolia): ᠬᠡᠭᠡᠷ ᠵᠢᠨ ᠨᠣᠭᠣᠰᠣ
Mongolian (Cyrillic, Inner Mongolia): Зэрлэг нугас, Хээрийн нугас
Mongolian (Transliteration): hono nugahan, kheeriŋ nugas, zerleg nug as, zerleg nugas
Malaiisch: Itik Melewar
Maltesisch: Kuluvert
Niederländisch: Wilde eend
Norwegisch: Blåhals, Grasand, Stokkand
Polnisch: krzyzówka, Krzyżówka, Krzyżówka zwyczajna
Pinyin: chén wù, dà hóng-tuǐ yā, dà lǜ-tóu, dà má-yā, dà yě-yā, duì yā, fú, guān yā, lǜ-tóu yā, qīng biān, yě-wù, yě-yā
Portugiesisch: pato real, Pato-real
Portuguese (Portugal): Pato-real
Romansh: Anda selvadia
Rumänisch: Divlio-ratsa, Divlio-ratsoy, Raţă mare
Zigeunersprache: Divlio-ratsoy
Russisch: Kryakva, Кряква, Кряква обыкновенная, Обыкновенная кряква
Sardisch: Anadi conca birdi, Conchirde, Testirde
Schottisch: Lach, Lacha chinn naine, Tounag
Nordsamisch: Suoidnesuorsi
Slowakisch: Kačica divá
Slowenisch: mlakarica, raca mlakarica
Albanisch: Kuqla qafëgjelbër, Rosa e vëndit, Rosë e egër
Serbisch: Divlja patka, divlja patka gluvara, gluvara, Глувара, Дивлја патка, Дивља патка, Патка глувара
Schwedisch: Gräsand, gräsand/mexikansk and
Thailändisch: เป็ดมาลลาร์ด, เป็ดหัวเขียว
Thai (Transliteration): pèt hŭa-kʰĭaw, pèt maanlâad
Turkmenisch: yeşilbaş
Türkisch: Yeşilbaş, Yeşilbaş Ördek, Барылдауық үйрек
Tuwinisch: бос, Черлик өдурек, Чыргырааш өдурек
Ukrainisch: Крижень
Vietnamesisch: Le le, Vịt cổ xanh, Vịt mỏ vàng, Vịt nước
Sorbian, Lower: Źiwa kacka
Sorbian, Upper: Dźiwja kačka
Chinesisch: [chen wu], [da hong-tui ya], [da ma-ya], [da ye-ya], [fu], [lu-tou ya], [qing bian], [ye-wu], [ye-ya], 凫, 大红腿鸭, 大绿头, 大野鸭, 大麻鸭, 官鸭, 对鸭, 晨骛, 沉骛, 綠頭鴨, 绿头鸭, 野骛, 野鸭, 青边
Chinese (Traditional): 大紅腿鴨, 大綠頭, 大野鴨, 大麻鴨, 官鴨, 對鴨, 晨騖, 沉騖, 綠頭鴨, 野騖, 野鴨, 青邊, 鳧
Chinese (Taiwan, Traditional): 綠頭鴨
Chinese (Taiwan): [lu-tou ya], 綠頭鴨, 绿头鸭
Mallard duck
El ánade real o #azulón (Anas platyrhynchos) es una especie de ave anseriforme de la familia Anatidae. Es un #pato de superficie común y muy extendido. Habita áreas de temperatura templada de Norteamérica, Europa y Asia. También frecuenta Centroamérica y el Caribe. Probablemente es el más conocido de todos los patos.
El macho tiene la cabeza verde azulada, pico amarillo, pecho pardo o castaño, collar blanco, cuerpo gris y popa negra. La hembra es de colores más apagados en pardo oscuro, se parece a otros patos (sobre todo al ánade friso), pero su mayor tamaño, el color anaranjado y oscuro en el pico y el espejuelo azul y blanco son característicos. Ambos sexos tienen espejuelos azul-morado.
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Lugar de Captura /Taken: Rotary St-Anselme Park, Dieppe, NB.
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The #mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is a large wading bird of the family #Anatidae #Anseriformes. It is a common duck and widespread surface. It inhabits warm temperate areas of North America, Europe and Asia. Also frequents Central America and the Caribbean. Probably the best known of all ducks.
The male has bluish green head, yellow beak, brown or chestnut breast, white necklace, gray body and black stern. The female is duller colors in dark brown, other ducks (especially the Gadwall), but its larger size, the color orange and dark blue beak and white speculum and looks are characteristic. Both sexes have blue-purple glasses.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Anseriformes
Family:Anatidae
Genus:Anas
Species:A. platyrhynchos
Binomial name
Anas platyrhynchos
Mallard-9331
David Wisner of Washington, D.C., pets Geena, a two-year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever owned by hunting guide Greg Cole, left, near a hunting blind at Chino Farms in Chestertown, Md., on Jan. 15, 2016. At over 5,000 acres, Chino Farms was the largest single land preservation deal in Maryland's history. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
USAGE REQUEST INFORMATION
The Chesapeake Bay Program's photographic archive is available for media and non-commercial use at no charge. To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.
A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.
(Aythya ferina)
Estavayer-le-lac
Switzerland // Suiça
Nikon 1 v3 + Nikkor VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 CX
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All my photos are now organized into sets by the country where they were taken, by taxonomic order, by family, by species (often with just one photo for the rarer ones), and by the date they were taken.
So, you may find:
- All the photos for this order ANSERIFORMES
- All the photos for this family Anatidae (Anatídeos)
- All the photos for this species Aythya ferina
- All the photos taken this day 2015/06/25
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Hunting guide Greg Cole, left, collects geese shot at Chino Farms in Chestertown, Md., on Jan. 15, 2016. At over 5,000 acres, Chino Farms was the largest single land preservation deal in Maryland's history. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
USAGE REQUEST INFORMATION
The Chesapeake Bay Program's photographic archive is available for media and non-commercial use at no charge. To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.
A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.
Botanical Gardens
Dublin 01-03-2020
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Anseriformes
Family:Anatidae
Genus:Aix
Species:A. galericulata
Binomial name
Aix galericulata
The Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata), or just Mandarin, is a perching duck species found in East Asia. It is medium-sized, at 41–49 cm (16–19 in) long with a 65–75 cm (26–30 in) wingspan. As the other member of the genus Aix, it is closely related to the North American wood duck.
The adult male is a striking and unmistakable bird. It has a red bill, large white crescent above the eye and reddish face and "whiskers". The breast is purple with two vertical white bars, and the flanks ruddy, with two orange "sails" at the back. The female is similar to female wood duck, with a white eye-ring and stripe running back from the eye, but is paler below, has a small white flank stripe, and a pale tip to its bill.[2]
Mandarin ducklings are almost identical in appearance to wood ducklings, and very similar to mallard ducklings. The ducklings can be distinguished from mallard ducklings because the eye-stripe of Mandarin ducklings (and wood ducklings) stops at the eye, while in mallard ducklings it reaches all the way to the bill.
The species was once widespread in East Asia, but large-scale exports and the destruction of its forest habitat have reduced populations in eastern Russia and in China to below 1,000 pairs in each country; Japan, however, is thought to still hold some 5,000 pairs. The Asian populations are migratory, overwintering in lowland eastern China and southern Japan.[4]
Specimens frequently escape from collections, and in the 20th century a large feral population was established in Great Britain; more recently small numbers have bred in Ireland, concentrated in the parks of Dublin. There are now about 7,000 in Britain, and other populations on the European continent, the largest in the region of Berlin.[5] Isolated populations exist in the United States. The town of Black Mountain, North Carolina has a limited population,[6] and there is a free-flying feral population of several hundred Mandarins in Sonoma County, California. This population is the result of several Mandarin ducks escaping from captivity, then going on to reproduce in the wild.[2]
The habitats it prefers in its breeding range are the dense, shrubby forested edges of rivers and lakes. It mostly occurs in low-lying areas, but it may breed in valleys at altitudes of up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). In winter, it additionally occurs in marshes, flooded fields, and open rivers. While it prefers freshwater, it may also be seen wintering in coastal lagoons and estuaries. In its introduced European range, it lives in more open habitat than in its native range, around the edges lakes, water meadows, and cultivated areas with woods nearby
In the wild, Mandarin ducks breed in densely wooded areas near shallow lakes, marshes or ponds. They nest in cavities in trees close to water and during the spring, the females lay their eggs in the tree's cavity after mating. A single clutch of nine to twelve eggs is laid in April or May. Although the male may defend the brooding female and his eggs during incubation, he himself does not incubate the eggs and leaves before they hatch. Shortly after the ducklings hatch, their mother flies to the ground and coaxes the ducklings to leap from the nest. After all of the ducklings are out of the tree, they will follow their mother to a nearby body of water.
Mandarins feed by dabbling or walking on land. They mainly eat plants and seeds, especially beech mast. The species will also add snails, insects and small fish to its diet.[7] The diet of Mandarin ducks changes seasonally; in the fall and winter, they mostly eat acorns and grains. In the spring, they mostly eat insects, snails, fish and aquatic plants. In the summer, they eat dew worms, small fish, frogs, mollusks, and small snakes.[8] They feed mainly near dawn or dusk, perching in trees or on the ground during the day
Mute Swan, Order Anseriformes, Family Anatidae, Species Cygnus olor,..
A large, familiar bird, strikingly white and obvious even at great range, Mute Swan is generally quite tame, even semi-domesticated in its behaviour and choice of habitat.
Territorial pairs are aggressive, even to people or their dogs, using impressive displays of arched wings and loud, hissing calls.
In some floodplains, small groups regularly feed on dry land, a habit that is more consistent with the two " wild swans ", Bewick's and Whooper,
Voice - Strangled trumpeting and hissing notes,
Nesting - Huge pile of vegetation at water's edge; up to 8 eggs; 1 brood; March - June.
Feeding - Plucks vegetable matter from short grass in fields and salt marshes, pulls the same from shallow water, or upends in deeper water,..
Length 1.4 - 1.6m,
Wingspan - 2,08 - 2.38m,
Weight - 10 - 12kg,
Lifespan - 15 - 20 years,
Social - Small flocks,
Status - Secure,..