Bird watching in Africa - Yellow-billed Duck, Anas undulata

Length: 51 – 58 cm
Wingspan:
Weight: 823 - 1310 g
Longevity: 20 years
Distinctive Feature •
Similar Species • Sexes similar. Juveniles slightly duller than adults From opus at www.birdforum.net the forum for wild birds and birding.
Female / Male • From opus at www.birdforum.net the forum for wild birds and birding.

The Yellow-billed Duck (Anas undulata) is a 51–58 cm long dabbling duck which is an abundant resident breeder in southern and eastern Africa.

This duck is not migratory, but will wander in the dry season to find suitable waters. It is highly gregarious outside the breeding season and forms large flocks.

These are mallard-sized mainly grey ducks with a darker head and bright yellow bill. The wings are whitish below, and from above show a white-bordered green speculum.

Sexes are similar, and juveniles are slightly duller than adults. The north-eastern race is darker and has a brighter bill and blue speculum.

It is a bird of freshwater habitats in fairly open country and feeds by dabbling for plant food mainly in the evening or at night. It nests on the ground in dense vegetation near water. Rarely found in suburban areas, in close proximity to golf courses, parks and lakes or dams. The clutch numbers between six and twelve eggs.

The male has a teal-like whistle, whereas the female has a mallard-like quack.

There are two subspecies of the yellow-billed duck: A. undulata rueppelli (northern yellow-billed duck) A. undulata undulata (southern yellow-billed duck)

The yellow-billed duck is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. The southern nominate subspecies is declining due to competition and hybridization with feral mallards (Rhymer 2006).

AEWA

The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds, or African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) is an independent international treaty developed under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme's Convention on Migratory Species.

It was founded to coordinate efforts to conserve bird species migrating between European and African nations, and its current scope stretches from the Arctic to South Africa, encompassing the Canadian archipelago and the Middle East as well as Europe and Africa.

The agreement focuses on bird species that depend on wetlands for at least part of their lifecycle and cross international borders in their migration patterns. It currently covers 254 species.

Treaties

Ban on lead shot
The use of lead shot over wetlands has been banned by the signatories to the convention on account of the poisoning it causes.

Range map from www.oiseaux.net - Ornithological Portal Oiseaux.net

www.oiseaux.net is one of those MUST visit pages if you're in to bird watching. You can find just about everything there

Length: 51 – 58 cm

Wingspan:

Weight: 823 - 1310 g

Longevity: 20 years

Distinctive Feature

•

Similar Species

• Sexes similar. Juveniles slightly duller than adults

From opus at www.birdforum.net the forum for wild birds and birding.

Female / Male

•

From opus at www.birdforum.net the forum for wild birds and birding.

Listen to the Yellow-billed Duck

Sound from www.xeno-canto.org

Remarks from the Recordist

Calls from one of a flock of this species on a large pond.

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia