Knob-Billed Duck

Knob-Billed Duck Latest News

A rare knob-billed duck — a species usually associated with the wetlands of Central India, particularly Rajasthan and Gujarat — has been recently recorded for the first time at Pong Lake Wildlife Sanctuary.

About Knob-Billed Duck

• The knob-billed duck, or African comb duck, is a species of duck named for the prominent, leaf-shaped comb on top of the male’s bill. 
• Scientific Name: Sarkidiornis melanotos 

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Knob-Billed Duck Habitat and Distribution 

• It is found in tropical wetlands in Sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and the Indian subcontinent from northern India to Laos and extreme southern China. 
• It still breeds in freshwater swamps and lakes in the tropics. It is largely resident, apart from dispersion in the wet season. 

Knob-Billed Duck Features

• It is one of the largest species of duck. Length can range from 56 to 76 cm, wingspan ranges from 116 to 145 cm and weight from 1.03 to 2.9 kg.
• Adults have a white head freckled with dark spots and a pure white neck and underparts.  
• The upperparts are glossy blue-black upperparts, with bluish and greenish iridescence especially prominent on the secondaries (lower arm feathers). 
• The male is much larger than the female.
• Young birds are dull buff below and on the face and neck, with dull brown upperparts, top of the head, and eyestripe. 

Knob-Billed Duck Conservation Status

It is classified as ‘Least Concern’ under the IUCN Red List.

News: TI