Ducks and Geese
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 10 species which occur in Madagascar.
Common Name | Scientific Name | Status |
---|---|---|
White-faced Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna viduata | Common resident, LC |
Fulvous Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna bicolor | Uncommon resident, LC |
White-backed Duck | Thalassornis leuconotus | Rare resident, LC |
Comb Duck | Sarkidiornis melanotos | Locally common resident, LC |
African Pygmy-goose | Nettapus auritus | Common resident, LC |
Meller's Duck* | Anas melleri | Uncommon resident, EN |
Red-billed Duck | Anas erythrorhyncha | Common resident, LC |
Hottentot Teal | Anas hottentota | Locally common resident, LC |
Bernier's Teal* | Anas bernieri | Rare resident, EN |
Madagascar Pochard* | Aythya innotata | Recently rediscovered, CR |
Read more about this topic: List Of Birds Of Madagascar
Famous quotes containing the words ducks and/or geese:
“The only ones who are really grateful for the war are the wild ducks, such a lot of them in the marshes of the Rhone and so peaceful ... because all the shot-guns have been taken away completely taken away and nobody can shoot with them nobody at all and the wild ducks are very content. They act as of they had never been shot at, never, it is so easy to form old habits again, so very easy.”
—Gertrude Stein (18741946)
“Not a flock of wild geese cackles over our town, but it to some extent unsettles the value of real estate here, and, if I were a broker, I should probably take that disturbance into account.”
—Henry David Thoreau (18171862)