Comb Ducks
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The Comb Duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos) is an unusual duck, best placed in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae, though it has formerly been included in the Anatinae.
The comb duck is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
Distribution / Range:
It breeds in the tropics in South America, sub-Saharan Africa and Pakistan even parts of India. It is largely resident, apart from dispersion in the wet season.
The habitat is still freshwater swamps and lakes, where this duck feeds on vegetation by grazing or dabbling. They like to eat seeds so they become a problem to some farmers if they are in the area and are around their farms.
It is very important for the comb ducks to have rain because it determines when they are going to mate and also if they are going to mate at all. This species of ducks is usually not found in any public displays due to them needed their special needs such as warm weather. They are usually found in warm areas where there is rain from time to time.
This type of duck does not like to be anywhere near where there might be humans inhabiting the area. Depending on what time of the year it is and what season will determine if they will be in small groups or in larger ones. The comb ducks usually fly together when they migrate. Sometimes the comb ducks may even separate themselves according to what sex they are into different groups. They in fact do not have much of a problem with other ducks that might be in the same area as them.
Breeding / Nesting:
It nests mainly in tree holes, laying 7-15 eggs. It is common for one male duck to have more than one mating female comb duck.
Description:
This common species is unmistakable. It has a white neck, head and underparts, and glossy blue- black upperparts. The head is freckled with dark spots.
The male is larger than the female, and has a large black knob on the bill. Young birds are brown above and buff below. Both the female and male have white colored bellies. The wingspand of the male is much larger than that of a female comb duck.
Baby comb ducks have a different appearance when they are younger in age. They do not resemble the parents in appearance as much.
South American birds, S. m. sylvicola, are smaller and have black flanks (light grey in Old World birds).
The sounds made by female and male comb ducks sound somewhat different.
Copyright: Wikipedia. The photos and this article are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org
Diet / Feeding:
Ducks generally feed on larvae and pupae often found under rocks, as well as aquatic animals, plant material, seeds, small fish, snails and crabs.
Feeding Ducks ...
We all enjoy ducks 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
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