SNOW GOOSE(Anser caerulescens)
SNOW GOOSE
(Anser caerulescens)
These geese breed in the Arctic tundra of North America. They fly up from the south each spring, and their young hatch when the days are getting longer and the food supply is at its best. Even in late spring, the tundra can be very cold, so the geese line their nests with feathers to keep their eggs warm. Snow geese have two different color variations. Many are white all over, apart from their black wing tips, but some are blue-gray.
This handsome goose has a brown and white body and a black head, with a white "chinstrap" on its throat. It breeds near lakes and in wetlands throughout Canada and the northern United States, and its size varies according to where it lives. The largest geese, from the American Great Plains, can be seven times heavier than those from Alaska-a record difference for the same species of bird. In the early evening, Canada geese usually return to water to roost. They make a loud, honking noise as they fly.
Greylags breed near water across Europe and central Asia, flying as far south as India and China for the winter. They have gray-brown bodies with pink legs and feet, and heavy beaks that are good for pulling up grass and water weeds. They are the ancestors of most farmyard geese. When greylags and other geese migrate, they often fly in a V-shaped formation. This saves energy because each bird is helped along by air currents produced by the one in front. The geese take turns to lead.
The black and white magpie goose is unusual in several ways. It has much longer legs than most geese, and its feet are only slightly webbed. It is also the only waterfowl species that feeds its young-the others simply lead their chicks to food. Magpie geese live in large flocks close to rivers, in swamps, and in grassland. They feed on land and in water, and although they live in open places, they are good at perching in trees. The magpie goose is one of the world's most primitive waterfowl. It is easy to tell the males from the females because the males have a high, bony crown on the top of their heads.
The mallard is one of the world's most widespread ducks. It lives on almost any patch of fresh water, from the fringes of the Arctic to suburban lakes and ponds. To feed, it either "dabbles" at the surface or tips up on end to reach food on the bottom. Like most ducks, the males and females look quite different. During the breeding season, the males have bright green heads and curly tails. Females are brown all year round, providing camouflage when they nest. Like all ducks, mallards spend a lot of time making sure that their feathers are clean and waterproof.
During the breeding season, the male mandarin has a bright red beak, orange "whiskers," and two orange wing feathers that stick up like a pair of sails. Mandarins come from forested rivers and lakes in the Far East, and they nest in holes in trees. Within a day of hatching, the ducklings leave the nest to follow their mother to water. They cannot fly, but they are light and covered with soft down, so the jump is not as dangerous as it sounds.
Shovelers are easy to recognize from their oversized, shiny black beaks. They use them to strain tiny plants and animals from the surface of lakes and ponds. Unlike other freshwater ducks, they rarely tip up on end. There are four species of shovelers-in addition to this species, there is one in South America, one in South Africa, and another in Australia. The northern shoveler is the most widespread, and it migrates as much as 3,700 mi. (6,000km) to breed.
In its breeding plumage, the male pintail is one of the most elegant freshwater ducks, with a chocolate-brown head, gray and white body, and long, pointed tail. Pintails breed near rivers and on marshy ground, where they feed by dabbling on the water's surface and by up-ending. Like most ducks, they are good fliers. They can take off almost vertically when alarmed and speed through the air on powerful, fast-beating wings.
This black and white duck lives on lakes, but instead of feeding from the surface of the water, it dives for food. It disappears completely with a splash, then bobs back to the surface with water plants and small animals, such as mollusks and insects, that it has collected from the bottom. Adult tufted ducks usually feed in water up to 6 ft. (2m) deep. The ducklings can also dive for food within a few hours of leaving the nest.
Mergansers are called saw-billed ducks because their beaks have serrated edges for gripping slippery fish. They live on fresh water and on the coast, and they dive after their prey, bringing it to the surface to eat it. Compared to other ducks, they have long, slender bodies and untidy, backswet crests. Red-breasted morgansers lay up to 12 eggs in a nest hidden among plants. The female covers her eggs with feathers when she leaves the nest to feed. Red-breasted mergansers are very good at catching fish, which makes them unpopular with anglers.
Eiders live on rocky coasts, where they feed on crabs and other small animals. They have stocky bodies, powerful, sloping beaks, and some of the warmest plumage in the world. Eiders need good insulation because they breed farther north than any other birds. They nest on the ground, and they keep their eggs warm by lining their nests with down. Before synthetic fibers were invented, eider down was used to stuff pillows and bedding. Small amounts are still collected today. The common eider duck has a distinctive profile, with a flat forehead that merges with its beak.
There are four species of steamer ducks, all living on the cold coasts around the tip of South America. Like most steamer ducks, the Falkland Isalnds steamer duck has difficulty flying. To escape danger, it usually paddles away instead. The duck dives in beds of seaweed to find small animals and water plants to eat. The Falkland Islands steamer duck nests in tussock grass on coasts and lagoons near the shore. It is very territorial and chases away any other ducks that come too close.
This Australian gamebird and its relatives do not incubate their eggs. Instead of sitting on them to keep them warm, they bury them in gigantic nests-mounds made of sand and fallen leaves. As the leaves begin to rot, the mounds warm up, allowing the eggs to develop. Every day, the male tests his mound's temperature with his beak. By opening the mound or building it up, he keeps the eggs at a steady 91 degrees F. Mallee fowl chicks take about seven weeks to hatch. The young chicks dig their way to the surface of the mound and are left to look after themselves.
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CANADA GOOSE
GREYLAG GOOSE
MAGPIE GOOSE OR PIED GOOSE
MALLARD
MANDARIN
NORTHERN SHOVELER
PINTAIL
TUFTED DUCK
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
COMMON EIDER
FALKLAND ISLANDS STEAMER DUCK
MALLEE FOWL