Comb duck

A densely built bird that looks more like a goose than a typical duck. Body length 56–76 cm, weight 1230–2610 g, males look much larger than females ^[2] . Head and neck are whitish-cream with multiple black spots. Spotting varies widely, and for some males the head looks completely or sometimes completely black. On the crown of the head, the female male has a small crest of elongated feathers. The back and wings are slate gray with a metallic tint of green, purple, purple or bronze, more pronounced in drakes. Chest and belly are white with a reddish tinge. The beak is black, the iris is dark brown. The male at the base of the beak has a large fleshy crest, or cone, usually sluggish, but swelling before the start of the breeding season. There are 2 subspecies of duck, one of which is S. m. melanotos is common in the Old World , and the second S. m. sylvicola , smaller and darker in South America. Some authors distinguish the South American duck as a separate species, although most still do not share this interpretation.

Three separate populations. In South and Southeast Asia, southeast Pakistan , India to the state of Asoma in the northeast and the cities of Mysore in the south, terai (wetlands in the lower Himalayas ) and the Kosi river valley in Nepal , Bangladesh , Myanmar , northwest, north East and central Thailand , Cambodia , northern Laos , western and southern parts of the Chinese province of Yunnan , southern Vietnam . In Africa , south of the Senegal Delta in southern Mauritania and Senegal , the Niger Basin in Mali and Niger , Chad , Fitri Lakes and the Logone Valley in Chad , central Sudan and Ethiopia . It is found in southern Africa in the Luangwa and Kafue River Valley in Zambia , Lesotho, and the Republic of South Africa . In South America, the main range is in the Amazon basin , outside it is found in places in Bolivia , Ecuador , in the east of Panama , Paraguay , Uruguay and northeast of Argentina ^[3] .

Habitats are associated with tropical freshwater bodies of water - lakes, river spills and wetlands, mainly forest. In Africa, lives in the savannah , where it rests on water meadows and in floodplains. Mostly flat bird, however, in the foothills of the Andes rises to 3500 m above sea level ^[4] . Leads a sedentary or nomadic lifestyle, the latter usually associated with the search for suitable reservoirs in the dry season. In the morning and in the evening he spends most of his time on the ground in search of food, the rest of the time he flocks in trees, including dry trees. It is able to stay not only on branches, but also on vertical tree trunks.

A polygyny is typical for a combed duck - one male simultaneously cares for two to four females. Moreover, a larger number of females can gather around the drake, however, a stable connection is formed only with some of them. In a variable climate, the beginning of breeding is tied to the rainy season, when there is a stable food supply. In South Africa it is usually December-March, in India July-September ^{[2] [5]} . In the absence of sufficient moisture in some years, the duck may completely refuse to reproduce offspring. In the mating season, rivalry is possible between several males for the right to own a female or harem, which sometimes ends in a fight. It nests on trees - in hollows or in the main fork of the trunk, or in the hole in the wall of a building at a height of 6-9 m above the ground ^[4] . Sometimes it occupies the old nests of other birds - storks , hawks or eagles . In exceptional cases, when there is a shortage of suitable places, it nests directly on the ground in tall grass or among stones. The same nest often contains clutches of several ducks, usually 6–15 eggs ^[6] . There are also unusually large clutches, up to 50 eggs, however, as a rule, they are not protected by anyone and die. The eggs are white, sometimes have a slight yellowish tint. Egg size 62 x 43 mm, weight about 47 g ^[5] . One of the females incubates, the drake does not take part in courtship of the offspring, but is nearby and monitors the approach of predators. Chicks of the brood type, after about a day already jump out of the nest. The ability to fly appears after about 70 days ^{[2] [4]} .

The basis of nutrition is plant food - seeds of herbs and water plants, grain . In addition, it sometimes eats insects (mainly locusts and larvae of aquatic insects), rarely small fish . Grazing in water meadows and shallow water, or looking for food afloat. In areas of agriculture, it feeds on rice fields. Active in the early morning and late evening.

• F. S. Todd . Natural History of the Waterfowl. Ibis Publishing, 1997. ISBN 978-0-934797-11-5
• James F. Clements . The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World. Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7136-8695-1
• C. Carboneras . Family Anatidae (Ducks, geese and swans) in Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Lynx Edicons. 1992. pp 536-628. ISBN 84-87334-10-5
• Madge, Steve & Burn, Hilary (1987): Wildfowl: an identification guide to the ducks, geese and swans of the world. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 978-0-7470-2201-5
• Paul A. Johnsgard . Ducks, Geese and Swans of the World. University of Nebraska Press. 1978. ISBN 978-0-8032-0953-4
• E. Soothill & P. Whitehead . Wildfowl of the World. Blandford Press. 1978. ISBN 0-7137-0863-8

• Comb Duck Facts