Wild Birds and Avian Influenza in Africa

The comb-duck, Sarkidiornis melanotos

Other names : Knob-billed Duck
French name : Canard casqué

Identification

Size : 56-76cm. Female considerably smaller than male.
At rest : Unmistakable. Large, heavily-built duck of tropical wetlands, with distinctive two-toned pattern of white head, neck and underparts and glossy black upperparts; at close quarters, dark freckling often visible on head. Male has large fleshy knob at base of bill.
In flight : white of head, neck and underbody contrasts sharply with black underwing and upperparts, although paler rump may be obvious at certain angles.

Habitat

Lowland tropical swamps, lakes and rivers in open, sparsely-wooded country.

Breeding

Breeds singly or in groups (harems), usually in tree cavities; the same cavity may be used from year to year. Breeding occurs when climate hot in areas of relatively high rainfall, though this may be unevenly distributed annually, seasonally and locally. Non-breeding frequent in years of poor rainfall.

Status

Widespread throughout tropical Africa, tropical Asia and South America. In Africa it is both resident and a seasonal migrant throughout the continent and Madagascar, avoiding arid and densely-forested regions.
Its movements are not clearly understood apart from being linked with drying-out of wetlands during the dry season, but ringing recoveries indicate that some movements are very extensive (e.g. birds ringed in Zimbabwe recovered in Sudan and Chad).
Three populations are recognised in Africa: one in West Africa, with an estimate of 50,000-80,000 birds, declining; one in Southern and Eastern Africa, with an estimate of 100,000-500,000, stable; and one in Madagascar with an estimate of 25,000-100,000, declining.

References

Brown, L., E. Urban, and K. Newman, The Birds of Africa, Vol. 1. 1982, New York: Academic Press Inc. Ltd. 526
Madge, S. and H. Burn, Wildfowl, 1988, Bromley: Christopher Helm Ltd, Imperial House. 306

Cirad Avian Influenza

Satellite tracking maps

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Updated :
January 12th, 2010

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