Characteristics of diving ducks
Diving ducks are a separate tribe of birds, consisting of representatives of the duck family living in the fresh waters of the northern hemisphere.
Diving ducks
Common features of diving
Among diving ducks, there are several varieties that differ in plumage color, size and characteristic features of appearance. Their main habitat is the North American territory. A distinctive feature of diving representatives is the extraction of food by diving into the water column. For this specific ability to get food for themselves, diving ducks were awarded this name.
Among the diving, several genera are distinguished:
- teal marble
- rose-headed duck,
- dives,
- blacken.
In addition, diving differ from other duck representatives by a low landing on the water surface and a tail that is often lowered into the water. Among the features of taking off from the water is a preliminary run-up along the water surface, while the duck diving certainly touches the surface of the water with its paws.
Many hunters are mistaken in believing that the meat of all diving ducks smells like fish, which they mainly feed on. Many diving species use a different food source in addition to fish, including vegetation in their diet. Only such diving as merganser and eider feed exclusively on fish food.
As a rule, the appearance of diving birds has specific stable features and descriptions characteristic of representatives of this tribe: short neck, tail and wings. Gathering in flocks, they often line up in flight in an angle or in a line.
Photos show how diving ducks look most clearly.
Marble teals
The marbled bird got its name from a gray-brown spotted feather, diluted with light spots. Today the total number of marble teals is no more than 55,000 individuals. Teals weigh about 0.6 kg.
Habitat and behavior
This diving genus of ducks is widespread mainly in the region of Spain and Asia, and is listed among endangered birds. Until the 80s of the last century, marble teals could be found on the territory of Russia in the Volga delta and in the Caspian region, but at the moment, nesting of these birds in our country is no longer recorded. For wintering, marble teal flies to Iran, Africa or India.
The marbled ducks are considered quiet and sedentary, preferring to swim, plunging deep into the water. These are excellent swimmers, who nevertheless often sit on the crowns of trees. Winged birds live mainly on fresh and salt lakes overgrown with reeds with coastal shrubs. They build their nests on the ground or on tree branches using hollows and other people's nests.
Pink-headed duck
It is considered to be on the verge of extinction or already extinct species, the last time which was met in 1945. Measuring 40-43 cm in length, the birds are distinguished by the pink color of the plumage on the head and neck.
Habitat and behavior
The pink-headed duck was observed in India (in the eastern part of the country), in Bangladesh and Myanmar (in the northern regions). Representatives of the genus roseheads preferred low-lying swamps and reservoirs with tall grass as habitats. At the same time, the initially pink-headed species of ducks was not numerous, and after increased hunting, due to the unusual color of the plumage, it completely disappeared. Today such winged ones can be seen only in the photo.
Scientists are inclined to believe that pink-headed ducks ate both plant (algae) and animal (molluscs) food. They built their nests in the grass, laying 6-7 spherical eggs with white shells.
Diving
Medium sized birds stand out for their large head and short neck compared to the rest of the proportions. They spend most of their lives in the reaches, reaching the coastline extremely rarely.
The diving genus includes three main types.
Red nosed
Quite a large representative of the diving genus, reaching a weight of up to 1.5 kg. It is easy to recognize him by his beautiful outfit: a bright red head and a red beak.
Habitat and behavior
The red-nosed duck can be found on the Volga, Amu Darya, the south of Balkhash, in many Western European countries and the Mediterranean islands of Central Asia. This genus of ducks prefers fresh lakes with reeds and reaches, but avoids salt water bodies.
The red-nosed duck flies much easier than other ducks, and moves on the ground more freely than other diving representatives, and in a forced situation is able to run quickly. However, it swims and dives worse than other diving ducks, periodically getting into the "candle" position.
Males of the red-nosed dive are silent by nature, only at the onset of spring can you hear their quiet voice in the form of a whistle. Frightened red-nosed dives hide in the water column, leaving only their head on the surface.
The basis of nutrition for these birds is plant food. The red-nosed duck eats animal food during the wintering period. Regardless of what refers to diving ducks, the red-nosed representative rarely dives for prey, preferring to collect food on the surface of the water.
Red-eyed
This type of diving gets its name from the red color of the eye iris. Its head plumage is colored dark brown, close to black, in color. In length, red-eyed diving ducks grow up to half a meter.
Habitat and behavior
The red duck can be found in southern and central Africa and Latin America. Birds prefer fresh ponds and lakes, swampy areas. Most often, red-eyed divers live in flocks, breaking up into mating pairs for the nesting period. The nest of the female of the red-eyed market usually builds in thickets, sometimes settling in other people's nests.
Pampas
The Pampas genus of divers is distinguished by a large red and white beak contrasting brightly with the black head.
Habitat and behavior
The pampas dive can be found in South America, central Chile, northern Argentina and Uruguay. For the winter, birds migrate towards Brazil and Bolivia. As habitats, the pampas duck chooses shallow water bodies - lakes and lagoons with brackish water - breaking nests in reed vegetation.
Despite the fact that it belongs to diving ducks, it is more similar to river individuals in the way of food extraction, preferring seeds and rhizomes of aquatic plants as food.
Cerneti
Stocky birds with a rather large head, long black or gray beaks. Almost all duck species have a wide stripe of light color on their wings.
Habitat and behavior
The available species of ducks have spread to different continents. So, the American red-headed duck is found only in the American, and in Russia there are 5 main varieties of blackness:
- the crested representative lives almost throughout the territory, excluding the Far North,
- red-headed duck is found closer to Yakutia,
- Bera's dive chose the east of Transbaikalia for its place of residence, the Bera bird is found in the Primorsky Territory and the Amur region,
- white-eyed duck can be seen near Pskov, Smolensk, Ryazan and Kaluga, in Bashkiria and Tatarstan,
- sea duck prefers the Russian tundra and forest-tundra, stretching from the west to the east, there is a sea duck diving in the Urals and where the polar line of the Arctic Ocean passes, flying to the sea for wintering.
Most of the time the ducks spend on the water, diving for food, getting food from the bottom, sinking into the water column in whole or in part. Only occasionally can this genus of diving ducks be seen on land.