Aythya

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Aythya
Tufted Ducks (Aythya fuligula), ♂ and ♀

Tufted Ducks ( Aythya fuligula ), ♂ and ♀

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Goose birds (Anseriformes)
Family : Duck birds (Anatidae)
Subfamily : Anatinae
Tribe : Diving ducks (aythyini)
Genre : Aythya
Scientific name
Aythya
F. Boie , 1822

Aythya is a genus of ducks ; it is attributed to the diving ducks . The genus comprises twelve species, of whichthree species, the tufted duck , the pochard and the pochard, are regular breeding birds of the avifauna of Central Europe . The Madagascar bog duck and the bear duck are the rarest species of the genus and are considered critically endangered.

features

The bog duck is the smallest diving duck of the genus Aythya . The representatives of the species reach a body length of 38 to 42 centimeters. Bog ducks weigh an average of around 560 grams. The North American giant pochard, on the other hand, reaches a body length of 48 to 60 centimeters and weighs up to 1270 grams.

A compact build is characteristic of the genus. The head is large in relation to the length of the body. The plumage has brown, black, white or gray tones. In all species of the genus there is a sexual dimorphism , which is however differently pronounced. A comparatively low sexual dimorphism occurs in the bog duck.

distribution

The species of the genus Aythya occur in South and North America, in Africa, in Eurasia to China and in Australia and New Zealand. In contrast, they are absent in large parts of Southeast Asia and in the western Pacific.

The Australian bog duck is the only diving duck in the fauna of Australia . The Maori duck , which is found only in New Zealand, has a comparatively small distribution area . The pochard, on the other hand, has a very large distribution area, which is distributed across the entire European continent and occurs in Asia as far as Lake Baikal. The main area of ​​distribution of the bog duck is in the steppes and semi-deserts of Asia and Eastern Europe. However, there is also a small Central European breeding population. The endangered bear duck is limited to a small area in East Asia; the Madagascar bog duck, which is also threatened with extinction, only occurs in a few areas in Madagascar. Giant pochard, redhead, and ring-billed duck are North American species.

Way of life

The diet consists of parts of plants and invertebrates such as aquatic insects, crustaceans and molluscs . Some species feed almost exclusively on plants. With the tufted duck and the mountain duck there are also species that eat almost exclusively animal food. Although the food of Aythya species is mostly captured by diving, they can also dig like swimming ducks in shallow water. At greater depths, the tactile cells on the beak are used to track down food.

species

Redhead , Maryland
Bog duck

A distinction is made between the following types:

literature

  • Hans-Günther Bauer, Einhard Bezzel and Wolfgang Fiedler (eds.): The compendium of birds in Central Europe: Everything about biology, endangerment and protection. Volume 1: Nonpasseriformes - non-sparrow birds. Aula-Verlag Wiebelsheim, Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3-89104-647-2 .
  • T. Bartlett: Ducks And Geese - A Guide To Management . The Crowood Press, 2002, ISBN 1-85223-650-7 .
  • Bruce M. Beehler , Thane K. Pratt : Birds of New Guinea; Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics . Princeton University Press, Princeton 2016, ISBN 978-0-691-16424-3 .
  • John Gooders and Trevor Boyer: Ducks of Britain and the Northern Hemisphere . Dragon's World Ltd, Surrey 1986, ISBN 1-85028-022-3 .
  • Hartmut Kolbe: The world's ducks . Ulmer Verlag 1999, ISBN 3-8001-7442-1 .
  • Erich Rutschke: The wild ducks of Europe. Biology, ecology, behavior. Aula, Wiesbaden 1988, ISBN 3-89104-449-6 .

Web links

Commons : Aythya  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Single receipts

  1. ↑ Birdlife Fact Sheet about the Madagascar Moor Duck , uploaded on June 20, 2017
  2. ↑ Aythya baeri in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Accessed June 20, 2017th
  3. ↑ Handbook of the Birds of the World zur Moorente , accessed June 20, 2017
  4. ↑ Janet Kear (Ed.): Ducks, Geese and Swans . Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 0198546459 , p. 640.
  5. ↑ Bruce M. Beehler, Thane K. Pratt: Birds of New Guinea; Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics . Princeton University Press, Princeton 2016, ISBN 978-0-691-16424-3 , p. 60.