Eastern Spot-billed Duck

Overview

The eastern spot-billed duck (Anas zonorhyncha), also known as the Chinese spot-billed duck, is a dabbling duck species that breeds across East and Southeast Asia. Previously classified as a subspecies of the Indian spot-billed duck, it is now widely recognised as a distinct species.

Identification

• Approximately the size of a mallard, measuring 55–63 cm in length, with a scaly patterned body that is mainly grey with a paler head and neck.
• Features a black bill tipped with bright yellow, distinctive blue speculum, and bright orange legs and feet.
• Produces calls similar to the mallard, with females emitting a loud quack and males a deeper, quieter sound.

Habitat

Found in freshwater lakes and marshes in fairly open country, this migratory species winters in southern China and possibly Southeast Asia. It has expanded its range northwards in Japan and the Russian Far East, occasionally appearing as a rare vagrant in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.

Diet

Feeds by dabbling for plant food, primarily in the evening or at night.

Did you know?

Both sexes undergo a complete postnuptial moult, dropping all their wing feathers simultaneously, which is a particularly dramatic physical transformation for a migratory bird.