Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – African Black Duck

DUCKS are usually found near water, mainly pans, lakes and dams. There aren’t many in our area, so readers may well wonder where this bird can be found in the Highway area. Well, this is one for the real enthusiast who is prepared to observe and get to know the bird’s habits and do a bit of searching!

Description

The African Black Duck, as the name suggests, is predominantly black with pronounced white marks on its back and is unlikely to be mistaken for any other species. It also has a dark bill and orange legs and feet. It is classified as medium-sized, it is 48cm to 57cm in length and weighs approximately 1kg. Males and females are very similar and are difficult to tell apart.

ALSO READ: Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – The Barn Swallow

Distribution

The African Black Duck is found throughout South Africa wherever there are fast moving perennial streams. It is also widely distributed across most of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Habitat

As with all water birds, they will be found where there is water. The African Black Duck is a bit special as it likes to feed in fast moving streams. They also prefer streams that are shallow, rocky or stony-bottomed with plenty of vegetation on the banks. The streams in our area are quite suitable for this species. While they spend most of the daytime hours in fast moving streams, they do prefer to overnight in larger bodies of water.

Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

 

PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts. Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.