The garganey (Spatula querquedula) is a migratory secretive dabbling duck that breeds in Europe and across the Palearctic. This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Like other small ducks, the garganey rises easily from the water with a fast twisting wader-like flight.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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WaterfowlWaterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans. They ...
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SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withThe adult male is unmistakable, with its brown head and breast with a broad white crescent over the eye. The rest of the plumage is grey, with loose grey scapular feathers It has a grey bill and legs. In flight, it shows a pale blue speculum with a white border. When swimming it will show prominent white edges on its tertials. His crown (anatomy) is dark and his face is reddish brown. The brown female is often confused with the female of the Common teal or the female of the Blue-winged teal, but the head and bill shape is different, and the latter species has yellow legs. Pale eyebrow, dark eye line, pale lore spot bordered by a second dark line.
Garganey breed in much of Europe and across the Palearctic. These ducks are strictly migratory, with the entire population moving to Africa, India (in particular Santragachi), Bangladesh (in the natural reservoirs of Sylhet district), and Australasia during the winter of the Northern hemisphere. Garganey prefer to breed on grasslands adjacent to shallow marshes and steppe lakes. Outside of the breeding season, they inhabit large freshwater or sometimes brackish lakes with floating vegetation, shallow flood plains, ricefileds, coastal saltmarshes, lagoons, and estuaries.
When not breeding garganey are gregarious and can form large flocks. They can be active at night and during the daylight hours in quiet areas. When migrating they prefer to travel by night and like to rest on open water during the day. Garganey feed while swimming mainly by skimming rather than upending. Males have a distinctive crackling mating call, while females are rather silent, but may produce a feeble 'quack'.
Garganey are omnivores and their diet varies according to the range and the season. They eat grasses, seeds of various plants, stems, leaves, roots, tubers, and other aquatic vegetation. Their diet also includes a wide variety of mollusks, aquatic worms, crustaceans, insects, small fish, and even small amphibians.
Garganey are monogamous breeders. They form pairs that nest solitary or in small groups and are very territorial. The breeding season starts in April-May. Pairs locate their nests on the ground near water and produce only one brood per season. The female lays 8-10 eggs and incubates them for 21-25 days. The young, called ducklings fledge 4-6 weeks after hatching and start to breed when they are one year old.
Although garganey are not considered a threatened species at present, they still suffer from the loss of wetland habitats, destruction of nests, hunting, and human disturbances.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the garganey is around 2,600,000-2,800,000 individuals. The European population consists of 352,000-524,000 pairs, which equates to 704,000-1,050,000 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, but its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...