ID guide Our new series reveals how to identify common freshwater ducks

HOW TO IDENTIFY UK DUCKS

The quintessential waterbirds, ducks are fun to watch and easy to identify once you know what you’re looking for. Why not spot all these species at your local WWT centre?

MALLARD

Anas platyrhynchos The most familiar duck in the British Isles. The mallard is a typical dabbling duck in that it feeds on the water’s surface and can spring straight up into the air on whirring wings.

(NORTHERN) PINTAIL

Anas acuta The most elegant British duck, on the ground and in the air. Its long, slender neck, wings and tail, and subtle colouring, make it easy to recognise. In most places, a winter visitor. B irdwatching in the UK holds many joys, one of which is learning to identify our many different ducks. Of the 22 species of duck that regularly occur in the UK, several are with us in good numbers all year round, three occur only in winter, and another 15 are more numerous in winter than summer. One, the secretive garganey, is a summer visitor to the UK.

Your local WWT centre is the perfect place to hone your duck identification skills – and summer is the time when some of the most exciting behaviour can be seen.

A large flock of mixed species can be bewildering, so start by choosing one individual from the group to watch. Study its behaviour – how it feeds and interacts with other ducks – and observe it from different angles. Ducks have bags of personality. The more you watch, the more you’ll learn.

Providing wetland habitat is vital to keeping duck populations healthy. And at WWT sites around the UK, you’ll be able to see all of the species in this guide at the right time of year. So swot up and then head to your nearest centre to get acquainted with the colourful world of ducks.

For more advice on duck ID and how to be a birdwatcher, visit our website.

Illustrations courtesy of Collins Birds of the World

(EURASIAN) WIGEON

Anas penelope Wigeon are unusual ducks in that they often graze grass like geese. Look for the male’s chestnut head and pale crown. A small number breed in the UK.

GADWALL

Anas strepera The gadwall looks plain until seen up close. A little smaller than the mallard, the male has obvious black tail feathers. Some spend the summer with us but many more over winter.

(EURASIAN) SHOVELER

Anas clypeata The shoveler’s most distinctive feature is its long, spade-like bill, which it uses to sift water to filter out particles of food. Peak counts often occur in winter or during flood events.

GARGANEY

Anas querquedula A pair of small ducks springing in alarm from a pool may be your first glimpse of garganey. The male has a pale forewing and eye stripe.

(EURASIAN) TEAL

Anas crecca Britain’s smallest ducks are attractive little birds. The male has a chestnut head and broad, green eye patch. They are very agile.

TUFTED DUCK

Aythya fuligula In flight, both sexes have a white bar on the wing. The male has white flanks. Close up, it has long feathers on the back of its head.

(COMMON) POCHARD

Aythya ferina The adult male’s brick-red head, black breast and grey back are distinctive. Its take-off is laboured but rapid. Like its close relative, the tufted duck, the pochard nests in reedbeds.

RED-CRESTED POCHARD

Netta rufina Larger than its cousin with similar plumage, but males sport a fiery head and coral red bill. Occasional wild birds from Europe are seen here, but breeding birds are probably escapes.

(GREATER) SCAUP

Aythya marila Similar to the tufted duck, but the male has a grey back with fine markings when seen up close. They are our rarest breeding duck. Best looked for in winter on estuaries.

MANDARIN

Aix galericulata These beautiful birds are native to East Asia, but feral populations became established here in the 20th century. Now widespread, they’re easily identified, especially the male.

COMMON SHELDUCK

Tadorna tadorna Bigger than a mallard, smaller than a goose. Females are a third smaller than males. Both have a green head, chestnut belly stripe and red bill. Most leave the UK in summer to moult.

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These beautiful illustrations are taken from the new Collins guide Birds of the World (RRP £75). The ultimate reference book for bird lovers, it covers all 10,711 species of the world’s birds. Available to buy from all good booksellers.