Birds of India - Ducks, Geese and Swans

Ducks, Geese and Swans

Order: Anseriformes. Family: Anatidae

The family Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These are birds that are modified for an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating. There are 131 species worldwide and 45 species which occur in India.

• Fulvous Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna bicolor
• Lesser Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna javanica
• White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala
• Bean Goose Anser fabalis
• Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
• Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus
• Greylag Goose Anser anser
• Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus
• Snow Goose Chen caerulescens (A) (Vagrant recorded once)
• Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis (Hypothetical)
• Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
• Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
• White-winged Duck Asarcornis scutulata
• Knob-billed Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos
• Cotton Pygmy-goose Nettapus coromandelianus
• Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata (A)
• Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
• Falcated Duck Anas falcata
• Gadwall Anas strepera
• Baikal Teal Anas formosa
• Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
• Andaman Teal Anas albogularis
• Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
• Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha
• Chinese Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha
• Northern Pintail Anas acuta
• Garganey Anas querquedula
• Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
• Marbled Teal Marmaronetta angustirostris
• Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina
• Pink-headed Duck Netta caryophyllacea (Ex)
• Common Pochard Aythya ferina
• Ferruginous Pochard Aythya nyroca
• Baer's Pochard Aythya baeri
• Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
• Greater Scaup Aythya marila
• Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis (A)
• Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
• Smew Mergellus albellus
• Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator (A)
• Common Merganser Mergus merganser
• Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus (race bewickii sometimes treated as a species)