Anseriformes are group of birds, highly adapted for life on the water surface. These include the swans, ducks and geese.
They have in common a long tongue which is used to draw water ifrom the front of the bill and expel it through the sides. This enables the water to be filtered to extract food which is then swallowed. This bill structure is retained even by those that have developed to graze on land or dive for food.
The feet are relatively large and webbed to provide propulsion in the water.
These are grouped into 10 sub families.
These species have a worldwide distribution through the tropics and subtropics. These ducks have, as their name implies, distinctive whistling calls.
The whistling ducks have long legs and necks, and are very gregarious, flying to and from night-time roosts in large flocks. Both sexes have the same plumage, and all have a hunched appearance and black underwings in flight.
More information can be found on Wikipedia.
There are 3 tribes:- Cygnini (True Swans, genus Cygnus), Anserini (Grey Geese, genus Anser, White Geese, genus Chen and Black Geese, genus Branta), Cereopsis (Cape Barren Goose, genus Cereopsis). Coscoroba Swan, Genus Coscoroba is currently unresolved.
There are six to seven species of swan in the genus Cygnus; in addition there is another species known as the Coscoroba Swan, although this species is no longer considered related to the true swans. Click on the image to access the Swan galleries.
More information can be found on Wikipedia.
Geese are waterfowl belonging to the tribe Anserini of the family Anatidae. This tribe comprises the genera Anser (the grey geese), Branta (the black geese) and Chen (the white geese). A number of other birds, mostly related to the shelducks, have "goose" as part of their name. More distantly related members of the Anatidae family are swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller. Click on the image to access the Goose galleries.
More information can be found on Wikipedia.
The Tadorninae is the shelduck-sheldgoose subfamily of the Anatidae, the biological family that includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl such as the geese and swans.
This group is largely tropical or Southern Hemisphere in distribution, with only two species, the Common Shelduck and the Ruddy Shelduck breeding in northern temperate regions, though the Crested Shelduck (presumed extinct) was also a northern species. Click on the image to access the Goose galleries.
More information can be found on Wikipedia.
The diving ducks, commonly called pochards or scaups, are a category of duck which feed by diving beneath the surface of the water. They are part of the diverse and very large Anatidae family that includes ducks, geese, and swans.
Although the group is cosmopolitan, most members are native to the northern hemisphere, and it includes several of the most familiar northern hemisphere ducks. Click on the image to access the Diving Duck galleries.
More information can be found on Wikipedia.
The Anatinae is a subfamily of the family Anatidae (swans, geese and ducks). Its surviving members are the dabbling ducks, which feed mainly at the surface rather than by diving.
Click on the image to access the Dabbling Duck galleries.
More information can be found on Wikipedia.
As the name implies, most but not all, are essentially marine outside the breeding season. Many species have developed specialized salt glands to allow them to tolerate salt water, but these have not yet developed in young birds. Some of the mergansers prefer riverine habitats.
Click on the image to access the Sea Duck galleries.
More information can be found on Wikipedia.
Aix is a genus that contains two species of ducks: the Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), and the Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata).
Click on the image to access the Aix galleries.
More information can be found on Wikipedia.
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