Black-headed Duck

Cuckoo duck ( Heteronetta atricapilla )

The cuckoo duck ( Heteronetta atricapilla ) is a South American species, which is attributed to the subfamily of the rudder ducks. It is the only real brood parasite among the ducks birds. Within the subfamily of the rudder ducks this type is considered to be the most original. The duck has more on design features a diving duck. It lacks the characteristic of rudder ducks stiff tail feathers and chunky beak. The species is not considered threatened.

Description

The drake the cuckoo duck wearing one years dress, black in the head and neck and chin and throat is feathered weißfleckig. The back feathers are blackish brown. The beak is black and the nail in the ridge area. The pages are bright blue. The beak is red base during the breeding season.

Female cuckoo Ducks have a dark gray skull. The sides of the head are gray-white; over the eye area runs a light stripe. The lower sides of the head, chin and throat are of a light gray and white. The beak and nail the ridge are as black in the male. The beak sides are gray-blue.

Habitat and behavior

Cuckoo ducks live in pairs or in small groups at the edge of the reed belt of small ponds and marshes in treeless regions. The greatest population density of cuckoo ducks there are in the province of Buenos Aires and Cordoba in Argentina. Cuckoo ducks are generally non-migratory birds. For hiking occurs in dry seasons.

The incubation period depends on the reproductive cycles of the host birds. Are parasitized among other Peposakaente and Bless rails, ibises, gulls and Chimangokarakaras if this breed on the ground. When held in captivity cuckoo duck could watch her ​​laying behavior in more detail: The drake swims quickly and menacingly on a nest, so that the host duck leaves the nest. The female cuckoo duck then lays her egg within a few minutes in the nest. At oviposition occurred only when in the plant host nesting birds. Hatching chicks leave the nest of the cuckoo duck and close a chick 's leading female ducks to. It does not matter which type belongs to the ducks females.

The food of the cuckoo duck is predominantly vegetable.

Farming in Europe

The first cuckoo duck, which came to Europe were in 1957 purchased from Hagenbeck Zoo. The Welterstzucht succeeded in 1977 the British Wildfowl Trust. The first German bred was made in 1986 the Wuppertal Zoo and Tierpark Berlin. Overall, however, very few cuckoo ducks were kept until the turn of the millennium in Europe.