Falcated Duck

Anas falcataOrder: ANSERIFORMES Family: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Codes: Common Name: FADU Scientific Name: ANAFAL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175080

Breeding Location:

Wetlands, Lowlands

Breeding Type:

Monogamous

Breeding Population:

Accidental to casual, Irregular vagrant

Egg Color:

Creamy white

Number of Eggs:

6 - 10

Incubation Days:

25 - 26

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Dried grasses and forbs, down

Migration:

Migratory

General

Falcated Duck: Medium-sized dabbling duck named for long, black and white, sickle-shaped (falcated) tertial feathers extending over black rump. Body white, black, gray in finely-scaled pattern; bolder on breast. Crested iridescent head is green and purple-brown. Throat is white with black ring; black tail and black-green speculum are both edged in white. Bill is black; top of base has small white spot. Female has scaled brown appearance overall with paler belly, gray bill, slight crest, short tertials, and no bill spot. Juvenile resembles female but is a paler buff-brown.

Range and Habitat

Falcated Duck: Breeds and winters in southeastern Asia but strongly migratory. Birds seen in North America beyond Alaska may be escaped captives from private collections or fully wild birds. Favors wetlands, small lakes, ponds, quiet rivers, estuaries, marshes. Near-threatenend in the wild. Most U.S. sightings occur between Pacific northwestern and central Californian coasts. Also seen on Baja peninsula, in Mexico, India, and Canada.

Breeding and Nesting

Falcated Duck: Six to ten creamy white eggs are laid in nest built on ground, near water, under cover of tall, dense vegetation. Nest typically made of grasses and forbs and lined with down. Hen incubates eggs for about 26 days, sometimes assisted by male.

Foraging and Feeding

Falcated Duck: Eats aquatic plants, seeds, and roots, but also occasionally takes snails, insects, small fish and frogs. Generally a surface feeder or dabbler but will sometimes tip or upend to feed or, more rarely, may dive. Sometimes grazes on land on forbs and grasses. Prefers marshy areas, ponds, estuaries, quiet rivers, and shallow coastal bays.

Vocalization

Falcated Duck: Utters a clear, low-pitched, trilled whistle.

Similar Species

Falcated Duck: No similar species has long, sickle-shaped tertials.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Falcated Duck

Falcated Duck: Medium dabbling duck with long black and white tertial feathers extending over black rump. Body white, black, gray in finely-scaled pattern. The crested iridescent head is green and purple-brown. White throat has black ring; black tail and black-green speculum are edged in white.

● Song: "whew- whew", "tsooh, tsooh"

● Foraging & Feeding: Falcated Duck: Eats aquatic plants, seeds, and roots, but also occasionally takes snails, insects, small fish and frogs. Generally a surface feeder or dabbler but will sometimes tip or upend to feed or, more rarely, may dive. Sometimes grazes on land on forbs and grasses. Prefers marshy areas, ponds, estuaries, quiet rivers, and shallow coastal bays.

● Breeding & nesting: Falcated Duck: Six to ten creamy white eggs are laid in nest built on ground, near water, under cover of tall, dense vegetation. Nest typically made of grasses and forbs and lined with down. Hen incubates eggs for about 26 days, sometimes assisted by male.

● Similar species: Falcated Duck: No similar species has long, sickle-shaped tertials.

Flight Pattern

Fast, direct flight with steady, strong, rapid wingbeats.

● Range & Habitat: Falcated Duck: Breeds and winters in southeastern Asia but strongly migratory. Birds seen in North America beyond Alaska may be escaped captives from private collections or fully wild birds. Favors wetlands, small lakes, ponds, quiet rivers, estuaries, marshes. Near-threatenend in the wild. Most U.S. sightings occur between Pacific northwestern and central Californian coasts. Also seen on Baja peninsula, in Mexico, India, and Canada.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationAccidental to casual, Irregular vagrant

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight25.6 Ounces

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Crest

Tufts of feathers on the head of the bird.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

Speculum

The brightly colored area on the wing (secondaries of the wing) on several duck species.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Falcated Duck

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Vocalization

Similar Species

Falcated Duck

Flight Pattern