Bucephala
| Bucephala | ||||||||||||
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Male buffalo head duck |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Bucephala | ||||||||||||
| SF Baird , 1858 |
Bucephala is a genus of the duck birdfamily(Anatidae) that includes three species. They are specialized diving ducks that arerelated tothe sawdaws ( Mergus ).
features
The upper head and neck plumage is extended hood-shaped, especially in the males. The beak is relatively short and higher than broad at the base. The nail (the often colored, horn-reinforced beak tip) is usually larger than that of the diving ducks of the genus Aythya . The nostril is closer to the tip, especially in the two European species. The rounded tail consists of 16 relatively stiff control springs. The 10th swing arm has an incised inside flag, the outside flag of the 9th swing arm is slightly notched.
In the brood plumage there is a clear sexual dimorphism . The males are conspicuously black and white in color, with the black areas having a metallic sheen. The females are predominantly gray or gray-brown in color. The head is dark brown and there are individual white areas.
Birds of all three species exhibit strong territorial behavior, both in terms of members of their own and those of other species. After breeding, the ducks are found mainly in larger shallow lakes in boreal forests or in tree-rich areas of the tundra . The nest is made in tree hollows or locally in crevices, but never free-standing. The food is captured by diving, with the ducks moving under the water like a sawdust without using their wings.
distribution
The distribution of the three species is in the northern hemisphere. The occurrence of the buffalo head duck is limited to the northwest of the Nearctic . The spatel duck has its main occurrence in the north-west of America and some relic occurrences in the area of the north-west Atlantic. The golden blue duck is found as a breeding bird through the taiga zone of the northern hemisphere. Wintering areas are mainly on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, with the golden-bellied duck also in central Eurasia.
Spatula
Golden bell
species
- Spatula Duck ( Bucephala islandica )
- Schellente ( Bucephala clangula )
- Buffalo head duck ( Bucephala albeola )
literature
- UN Glutz von Blotzheim, KM Bauer : Handbook of the birds of Central Europe. Volume 3: Anseriformes. 1st part: Duck birds: ducks, saws. AULA-Verlag, ISBN 3-923527-00-4 .
- Bruce DJ Batt: Ecology and management of breeding waterfowl U of Minnesota Press, 1992 ISBN 0816620016
