Comb Duck (African)

Adults have a white head and neck speckled with black spots, glossy black upperparts with iridescent green and purple sheen, and greyish flanks. Males are significantly larger and possess a prominent, fleshy black comb on the bill during the breeding season. Females are smaller, duller, and lack the distinctive bill comb.

White head and neck with fine black speckling, glossy greenish-black upperparts, white underparts, grey legs, and a dark bill (with a fleshy comb in breeding males).

Length: 56-76 cm (22-30 inches), Wingspan: 115-145 cm (45-57 inches), Weight: 1.3-2.9 kg (2.9-6.4 lbs)

Generally quiet outside of the breeding season, but produces low grunts, hisses, and soft whistles when communicating or disturbed.

Primarily vegetarian, feeding on vegetation, seeds, grasses, and water lilies, supplemented with small fish, frogs, and insects.

Freshwater wetlands, flooded grasslands, swamps, marshes, and seasonally inundated floodplains, often near mature trees for perching and nesting.

Mainly resident, but undertakes nomadic or regional movements following seasonal rainfall and the availability of temporary wetlands.

Nests in tree cavities, hollows, or occasionally on the ground hidden in tall grass. Lays a clutch of 7 to 13 yellowish-white eggs. The female incubates the eggs and rears the ducklings.

Other large ducks or geese within its range, but the combination of the upright posture, speckling on the head, glossy dark back, and the male's distinct bill comb makes it unmistakable.

Acts as a seed disperser and plays a role in aquatic food webs by consuming vegetation, insects, and small aquatic organisms.

Least Concern, with a stable overall population trend, though local populations can be affected by wetland degradation and hunting.

Look for them perched high in dead trees near water or wading in shallow wetlands and flooded grasslands. Scan large bodies of fresh water in tropical regions during the early morning or late afternoon.

Also known as the Knob-billed Duck, it is one of the largest species of duck in the world and has strong, sharp claws on its webbed feet to help it grip tree branches when perching.