African Black Ducks
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The African Black Duck (Anas sparsa) is a species of duck of the genus Anas.
Description:
The Anas sparsa is an entirely black duck with only two marks on its back. It lives in central and southern Africa.It is also known as the African black duck, black duck, black river duck, West African black duck, South African black duck, and the Ethiopian black duck.
It is a very shy and territorial duck. It is usually seen in pairs or small flocks..
It is a medium sized duck and is similar in size but when seen in pairs the male is noticeably bigger.
Breeding / Range:
Though it likes to stay in rivers and streams during the day it prefers large open waters during the night. This duck likes water in the wooded hills of Africa and also like to hide its nests near running water. Also the Anas sparsa makes its cup shaped nest of driftwood and matted grass. Though it builds its nest near running water it is always above flood level and on the ground.
It breeds throughout the year in different areas. Their egg quantity ranges from 4 to 8 eggs. Incubation is about 30 days by the mother and the fledgling period is 86 days and only the mother takes care of the young
Diet / Feeding:
This duck feeds off of larvae and pupae usually found under rocks, aquatic animals, plant material, seeds, small fish, snails, and crabs.
Feeding Ducks ...
We all enjoy these beautiful birds and many of us offer them food to encourage them to come over and stay around - and it works! Who doesn't like an easy meal!
However, the foods that we traditionally feed them at local ponds are utterly unsuitable for them and are likely to cause health problems down the road. Also, there may be local laws against feeding this species of bird - so it's best to check on that rather than facing consequences at a later stage.
- Click here to find out which foods to feed them that will offer the nutrition they need to survive a cold winter and remain healthy
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org ... Some info added by Avianweb.
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