Basic Information
Scientific classification
- Chinese name: African Black Duck
- Scientific name: African Black Duck, Anas sparsa
- Classification: Waterfowl
- Family: Anseriformes, Anatidae, Anatidae
Vital signs data
- Body length: No verification information available.
- Weight: No verification information available.
- Lifespan: No verification data available.
Significant features
The duck has a black bill and orange legs and feet.
Distribution and Habitat
Distributed across Eurasia and North Africa, including all of Europe, Africa north of the Tropic of Cancer, the Arabian Peninsula, and Asia north of the Himalayas-Hengduan Mountains-Minshan Mountains-Qinling Mountains-Huaihe River. Central and southern Africa, including the southern Arabian Peninsula and the entire African continent south of the Sahara Desert (Tropic of Cancer). The Indian subcontinent and southwestern China, including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and southeastern Tibet. The Indochina Peninsula and southeastern coastal China, including Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and southeastern coastal China, Hong Kong, and Hainan Island. Pacific islands, including Taiwan, the Dongsha Islands, Xisha Islands, Zhongsha Islands, Nansha Islands, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra and Java in Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
They typically inhabit and move along rivers, and are quite common in South Africa and Zimbabwe, where they are found in small populations in southern Africa.
Appearance
The African Black Duck has a brownish-black head, a black body, and distinct white horizontal stripes on its back. The duck has a black bill, and its legs and feet are orange.
Detailed introduction
The African Black Duck (scientific name: Anas sparsa) is a medium-sized waterfowl belonging to the genus Anas in the family Anatidae.
The African Black Duck is a typical river duck, almost never leaving rivers and streams. It mainly floats on the water's surface, foraging underwater, primarily feeding on plants, but sometimes also consuming animal matter. Its toes are webbed, but it rarely dives; when swimming, its tail remains above the water. It is adept at foraging, playing, and courtship in the water. It is clean-living, frequently preening its feathers both in the water and on land. Its diet includes larvae and pupae, aquatic animals, plants, seeds, small fish, snails, and crabs.
During the breeding season, African black ducks build a messy, cup-shaped nest near water sources using grass roots and stems. They lay 4-8 eggs at a time, which are incubated by the female for 30 days. After hatching, the ducklings are raised by the female alone for about 86 days before they can live independently.
Listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Birds, 2009 ver 3.1.
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