Birds of Morni: Spot-billed Duck

Spot-billed Duck/ Garm-pai/ Gugral (Anas poecilorhyncha) a large sized duck, about 2 feet in length, with a scaly patterned light and dark brown plummage. The head and neck are a pale grey/buff. It has a black bill tipped with bright yellow. Males have a prominent red spot at the base of the bill.  A white wing bar and a prominent green patch help identify the bird. The duck is found in small flocks in ponds and lakes. The Spot-billed is a ‘dabbling’ duck that feeds chiefly on the surface rather than by diving. It raises its bottom in a peculiar fashion as it tips forward to feed on surface vegetable matter.  It nests in shrubs on the marshy margins of ponds and lakes.

Spot-billed Duck, Bunga reservoir (Black-winged Stilt in the background)

Spot-billed Ducks, Bunga reservoir

Spot-billed Ducks at Bunga

Filed in: Birds