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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 Anatidae, the diverse and very large family that includes ducks, geese, and swans. The diving ducks are placed in a distinct tribe in the subfamily Anatinae, the Aythyini.
The greater scaup (Aythya marila), just scaup in Europe or, colloquially, "bluebill" in North America, [3] is a mid-sized diving duck, larger than the closely related lesser scaup and tufted duck. It spends the summer months breeding in Iceland, east across Scandinavia, northern Russia and Siberia, Alaska, and northern Canada.
The redhead is a pochard, a diving duck specially adapted to foraging underwater. Their legs are placed further back on the body, which makes walking on land difficult. The webbing on their feet is larger than dabbling ducks and their bills are broader to facilitate underwater foraging.
Aythya is a genus of diving ducks, with twelve species currently accepted. [2] The genus was described in 1822 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie, with the type species being greater scaup. [3] [4] The name Aythya comes from the Ancient Greek word αἴθυιᾰ (aithuia), which referred to an unknown diving-bird. [5] [6]
Pages in category "Diving ducks" The following 4 pages are in this category, out of 4 total. This list may not reflect recent changes. A. Aythya; B. Baer's pochard; D.
The New Zealand scaup is a diving duck which dives to look for aquatic plants, small fish, water snails, mussels and insects. [ 14 ] [ 13 ] It is sometimes seen with the Australian coot ( Fulica atra ); it is thought that the scaup takes advantage of the food stirred up by the coots as they fossick for shrimps. [ 13 ]
The 'sea ducks' of the tribe Mergini are diving ducks which specialise on fish and shellfish and spend a majority of their lives in saltwater. [13] The tribe Oxyurini contains the 'stifftails', diving ducks notable for their small size and stiff, upright tails.
A male mallard duck. Subfamily: Aythyinae, diving ducks (Some 15 species of diving ducks, of worldwide distribution, in two to four genera; The 1986 morphological analysis [10] suggested the probably extinct pink-headed duck of India, previously treated separately in Rhodonessa, should be placed in Netta, but this has been questioned. [15]