The diving duck is so named because of its ability to dive and swim underwater, obtaining food for itself. There are several varieties of this wild duck. Species differ in feather color, lifestyle and characteristics. Let's look at a detailed description of the varieties of diving ducks, where they live in nature, how they live and what they eat, and how deep they can dive.
Description of the duck
Pochard ducks live near swamps and in small calm rivers. Most common in North America, but also found in Asia and Africa.Several species of ducks are classified as divers, united by a common feature - the ability to dive deep into the water for prey. A duck can not only dive, but also swim underwater. This feature allows birds to spend most of their time on the water. They also appear on land, but they turn out to be vulnerable there, since they fly poorly. Other types of dives fly well, so they can be found on the shore more often.
Pochards are medium-sized ducks, smaller than an ordinary mallard (weight - 0.8-1.5 kg), with a compact body. Their head is round and large, with a long neck, and their beak is large and flat. The head may have a tuft. The color of the plumage is different, characteristic of each species. In drakes it is brighter, in females it is more modest.
Varieties
Among the dives, 4 species stand out. They are named for their distinctive appearance features; you can even use them to determine what species the bird belongs to.
Red-nosed Pochard
The head of the drakes is chestnut in color, with a tuft, and the iris of the eyes is red. The feathers on the back and breast are black with greenery. The feathers of the rump, tail and large feathers of the wings are dark. The wings are covered with feathers of a light cream color. The wings have a white stripe edged with black. Females are colored brown. The beak of ducks of both sexes is deep red, narrow, and the tip is pointed down. The tilt of the body is horizontal, the tail is inclined towards the water.
This duck weighs 1.7 kg and is considered a game bird. They are hunted for their meat and beautiful feathers, which are used for decoration. The meat of the red-headed pochard is dark, with orange fat.
Red-eyed Pochard
This species of duck is named because of its bright red iris. Wild representatives live in South America and Africa, in regions below the Sahara. They are classified as non-migratory, nests are built in coastal thickets, incubation lasts 26 days.
Color: head black with greenery, chest purple, body covered with brown and light green feathers. Males get this color after puberty; before this age, drakes, like females, are inconspicuous, gray-brown. The beak and legs are black.
Red-eyed ducks weigh on average 1.3 kg, with males being larger and brighter looking than females.
Pampas dive
The pampas duck lives in Latin America, in the southwest Atlantic Ocean (Falkland Islands). It is found in salt water bodies and in its domesticated form in ponds.
The feather on the body is silver with white specks, the head and chest are purple. In the light, the feathers take on a pinkish tint. The belly is white, large wing feathers are white with black edges. The eyes are red, the head is small and round. The base of the beak and the growth are red, the middle is white and the tip is black.
Redhead
The diving duck of this species is common in Europe; it winters far from its habitats - in North Africa and the Middle East. Ducks can be migratory or sedentary.
In spring, the feathers on the drake's head and neck become bright red or light chestnut. The rest of the feathers are black. Females are brown-gray; they need inconspicuous plumage for camouflage when they sit on the nest. Red-headed ducks dive to a depth of 2 m and can be there for up to 20 seconds. They move slowly on land and take off with a running start.
How deep do they dive?
Diving ducks can dive 2.5 m underwater.Since they live in shallow bodies of water, this is enough to find food there. But if necessary, they can dive deeper and reach the bottom of the reservoir.
Habitat
Diving ducks live in rivers, ponds, lakes, and wetlands. They don’t go far from their places. Nests are built on accumulations of dead reeds or in coastal thickets. There are, on average, a dozen eggs in a clutch. Incubation in different species lasts from 26 to 33 days. Drakes raise their offspring and teach ducklings to get food. Over the course of a year, a female can lay and hatch up to 3 clutches of eggs. Chicks begin to fly at 2.5 months. They also learn to dive at the command of the drake, this behavior protects the duck family from danger.
Divers feeding
Diving ducks feed on food that they can find in the water. These are green aquatic plants, seeds and pieces of rhizomes. They eat aquatic insects, worms, small mollusks, larvae, and fish eggs floating in shallow water. Birds dive for insects and fish, for aquatic vegetation.
Food of animal origin is the main food in the diet of diving ducks, which is why their meat has a specific fishy smell.
During the mating period and molting time, dives enrich the body with protein, which is found in fish, crustaceans and mollusks. Ducks do not stay in the water all the time; they go ashore and bask in the sun. By autumn, they accumulate fat, which allows them to endure a cold and not always well-fed winter.
Diving ducks are wild birds with beautiful plumage. They live in different parts of the world, are not domesticated, and no breeds have been developed on their basis. But this does not prevent them from remaining an ornamental and commercial bird. The main difference between ducks and other duck species is the ability to dive under water to get food. Ducks of these species are not protected, and the population is not in danger of decline or extinction.Therefore, ducks with beautiful plumage can be found in nature.
