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Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong | profile | all galleries >> Others >> Freaky Accidents >> High Profile Species >> Thailand 2013 1st H >> Sarkidiornis melanotos - Comb Duck tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Sarkidiornis melanotos - Comb Duck

Behaviour This species is an intra-African migrant (Hockey et al. 2005) undertaking poorly-understood (Brown et al. 1982, del Hoyo et al. 1992, Hockey et al. 2005) seasonal movements in relation to water availability (Brown et al. 1982, del Hoyo et al. 1992). It breeds during the wet season in single pairs or small groups (Brown et al. 1982, del Hoyo et al. 1992) (harems [Brown et al. 1982]), and outside of the breeding season usually occurs in small parties of up to 30-40 individuals (Madge and Burn 1988). Large flocks also gather in the dry (non-breeding) season (Brown et al. 1982) on suitable waters (Madge and Burn 1988), but these break up and disperse to breeding grounds at the onset of the rains (Brown et al. 1982). Habitat This species inhabits grassy ponds or lakes in savanna, open woodlands along large rivers and lakes (Johnsgard 1978), swamps (del Hoyo et al. 1992), marshes, floodplains, river deltas (Brown et al. 1982, Kear 2005a), flooded forest, pastures and rice-paddies (Kear 2005a) and occasionally sandbars and mudflats (Johnsgard 1978). Diet Its diet consists largely of vegetable matter, including the seeds of grasses and sedges, the soft parts of aquatic plants (e.g. water-lilies [Brown et al. 1982]), agricultural grain (e.g. rice, corn, oats [Johnsgard 1978], wheat and groundnuts [Hockey et al. 2005]) as well as aquatic insect larvae and locusts (Johnsgard 1978, Brown et al. 1982, del Hoyo et al. 1992). Breeding site The species nests close to water (Brown et al. 1982, Madge and Burn 1988, Kear 2005a), building rough structures of twigs and coarse grass (del Hoyo et al. 1992) in large hollow tree cavities (Madge and Burn 1988, Kear 2005a), between 7 and 12 m high (Brown et al. 1982), or in holes in the walls of isolated buildings (Madge and Burn 1988) (or other cavities with a floor diameter of c.200 mm [Kear 2005a]). It may also use the abandoned nests of other bird species, such as Hamerkop Scopus umbretta (Brown et al. 1982, Madge and Burn 1988, Kear 2005a), or nest on the ground (del Hoyo et al. 1992) in the shelter of tall grass or on tree stumps (Johnsgard 1978). When the species is tree nesting, the same cavity may be used from year to year (Brown et al. 1982).
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