birding...

The family Anatidae comprises about 140 species of birds and includes the swans, geese and ducks. This is a widespread and familiar group often known collectively as wildfowl. They are highly successful, occurring throughout the world wherever there is water, from inside the Arctic Circle to the tropics.

Part of their success is due to their enormous diversity; they range in size range from huge Whooper Swans, down to Teal and even tinier pigmy-geese. They exploit a wide range of ecological niches for, while all wildfowl are competent swimmers, some, such as geese and wigeon feed extensively on land, while others, particularly diving ducks, obtain all their food underwater and are consequently quite clumsy on their feet. These differences underlie the success that wildfowl have had in exploiting the enormous range of ecological niches which are provided by diverse wetland habitats.

This adaptability extends to their breeding cycle, for some species such as Goldeneye and Mandarins will happily set up home in a nest box high in a tree, while others such as the Shelduck often nest underground in an old rabbit burrow or fox earth. Indeed, I have seen a pair of Shelduck hatch a brood of young in an occupied fox earth alongside a vixen with three cubs, supporting the old view of the unpalatability of Shelduck to both man and beast!

In many ways, ducks are all things to all birdwatchers; drakes in full breeding plumage are boldly marked, brightly coloured, ostentatious and generally easy to identify. Females are more subtle, cryptically patterned with browns and fawns, cautious and reclusive in behaviour when nesting, courageous and determined when shepherding broods of ducklings across a landscape filled with predators.

For many children ‘feeding the ducks’ is their earliest introduction to birds in their environment. These birds can be very tame and approachable, allowing an easy appreciation of their bright plumage and raucous voices. But sadly wildfowl often receive a mixed reception amongst older birdwatchers. While many happily enjoy their brightness and accessibility, there are those who feel their enjoyment compromised by the possibility that the rare and gorgeous creature before them may only be at temporary liberty from some captive collection. It is difficult to ignore the risk of escapes, but at the end of the day the ‘rare and gorgeous creature’ is a living breathing entity and should be enjoyed for its intrinsic beauty rather than its arbitrary status.

For me, the appeal of wildfowl is as much in their complex lives as in the subtleties of their plumage. They have intricate social lives and many mate for life; they migrate over vast distances to lands I will never see, and inhabit some of the last truly wild places in our shrinking world and encourage me to spend time there. Every one I see carries a message reminding me of our collective past and of our hopes for the future, encapsulated in colours and shapes which are the very essence of style and beauty.

According to the IOC there are 164 species of ducks, geese & swans forming the family Anatidae; they are:

White-faced Whistling Duck Dendrocygna viduata
Black-bellied Whistling Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis
Spotted Whistling Duck Dendrocygna guttata
West Indian Whistling Duck Dendrocygna arborea
Fulvous Whistling Duck Dendrocygna bicolor
Plumed Whistling Duck Dendrocygna eytoni
Wandering Whistling Duck Dendrocygna arcuata
Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica

White-backed Duck Thalassornis leuconotus

Cape Barren Goose Cereopsis novaehollandiae

Swan Goose Anser cygnoides
Taiga Bean Goose Anser fabalis
Tundra Bean Goose Anser serrirostris
Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus
Greylag Goose Anser anser
Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus
Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus

Snow Goose Chen caerulescens
Ross's Goose Chen rossii
Emperor Goose Chen canagica

Canada Goose Branta canadensis
Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii
Nene Branta sandvicensis
Brant Goose Branta bernicla
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis

Coscoroba Swan Coscoroba coscoroba

Black Swan Cygnus atratus
Black-necked Swan Cygnus melancoryphus
Mute Swan Cygnus olor
Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator
Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus

Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa

Blue Duck Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos

Flying Steamer Duck Tachyeres patachonicus
Fuegian Steamer Duck Tachyeres pteneres
Falkland Steamer Duck Tachyeres brachypterus
Chubut Steamer Duck Tachyeres leucocephalus

Torrent Duck Merganetta armata

Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis

Comb Duck Sarkidiornis sylvicola
Knob-billed Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos

Blue-winged Goose Cyanochen cyanoptera

Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca

Orinoco Goose Neochen jubata

Andean Goose Chloephaga melanoptera
Upland Goose Chloephaga picta
Kelp Goose Chloephaga hybrida
Ashy-headed Goose Chloephaga poliocephala
Ruddy-headed Goose Chloephaga rubidiceps

Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
Raja Shelduck Tadorna radjah
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
South African Shelduck Tadorna cana
Australian Shelduck Tadorna tadornoides
Paradise Shelduck Tadorna variegata

Pink-eared Duck Malacorhynchus membranaceus

Salvadori's Teal Salvadorina waigiuensis

Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata

White-winged Duck Asarcornis scutulata

Hartlaub's Duck Pteronetta hartlaubii

Wood Duck Aix sponsa
Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata

Maned Duck Chenonetta jubata

African Pygmy Goose Nettapus auritus
Cotton Pygmy Goose Nettapus coromandelianus
Green Pygmy Goose Nettapus pulchellus

Brazilian Teal Amazonetta brasiliensis

Ringed Teal Callonetta leucophrys

Crested Duck Lophonetta specularioides

Bronze-winged Duck Speculanas specularis

Cape Teal Anas capensis
Gadwall Anas strepera
Falcated Duck Anas falcata
Chiloe Wigeon Anas sibilatrix
Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
American Wigeon Anas americana
African Black Duck Anas sparsa
American Black Duck Anas rubripes
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Mottled Duck Anas fulvigula
Hawaiian Duck Anas wyvilliana
Laysan Duck Anas laysanensis
Philippine Duck Anas luzonica
Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa
Indian Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha
Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha
Yellow-billed Duck Anas undulata
Meller's Duck Anas melleri
Blue-winged Teal Anas discors
Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera
Cape Shoveler Anas smithii
Red Shoveler Anas platalea
Australasian Shoveler Anas rhynchotis
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
Bernier's Teal Anas bernieri
Sunda Teal Anas gibberifrons
Andaman Teal Anas albogularis
Grey Teal Anas gracilis
Chestnut Teal Anas castanea
Auckland Teal Anas aucklandica
Campbell Teal Anas nesiotis
Brown Teal Anas chlorotis
White-cheeked Pintail Anas bahamensis
Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhyncha
Speckled Teal Anas flavirostris
Andean Teal Anas andium
Yellow-billed Pintail Anas georgica
Northern Pintail Anas acuta
Eaton's Pintail Anas eatoni
Garganey Anas querquedula
Baikal Teal Anas formosa
Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
Green-winged Teal Anas carolinensis
Silver Teal Anas versicolor
Puna Teal Anas puna
Hottentot Teal Anas hottentota

Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris

Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina
Rosy-billed Pochard Netta peposaca
Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma

Canvasback Aythya valisineria
Redhead Aythya americana
Common Pochard Aythya ferina
Hardhead Aythya australis
Madagascar Pochard Aythya innotata
Baer's Pochard Aythya baeri
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca
New Zealand Scaup Aythya novaeseelandiae
Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
Greater Scaup Aythya marila
Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis

Steller's Eider Polysticta stelleri

Spectacled Eider Somateria fischeri
King Eider Somateria spectabilis
Common Eider Somateria mollissima

Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus

Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca
White-winged Scoter Melanitta deglandi
Black Scoter Melanitta nigra
American Scoter Melanitta americana

Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis

Bufflehead Bucephala albeola
Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephala islandica

Smew Mergellus albellus

Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus

Brazilian Merganser Mergus octosetaceus
Common Merganser Mergus merganser
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
Scaly-sided Merganser Mergus squamatus

Black-headed Duck Heteronetta atricapilla

Masked Duck Nomonyx dominicus

Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
Andean Duck Oxyura ferruginea
Lake Duck Oxyura vittata
Blue-billed Duck Oxyura australis
Maccoa Duck Oxyura maccoa
White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala

Musk Duck Biziura lobata