#anseriform

[vintagewildlife]

Nēnē geese By: W. H. Sager From: The Fascinating Secrets of Oceans & Islands 1972

[herpsandbirds]

Cape Barren Geese (Cereopsis novaehollandiae), family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, order found in various spotty areas on the southern coast of mainland Australia and Tasmania

photographs by Russel Spence, Jeremy Edwards, Jarryd Guilfoyle, and Tracie Louise (BirdLife Australia)

[unrestrained-balderdash-art-blog]

Made this for ASAW, didn't post it because I made better things but might as well post it now

[nightmare-birds]

Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)

© Nigel Blake

[snototter]

A male and female cinnamon teal (Spatula cyanoptera) in Redwood City, California, USA

by Ron Wolf

[alonglistofbirds]

[1896/10977] Bufflehead - Bucephala albeola

Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae (ducks, geese and swans) Subfamily: Anatinae (dabbling ducks)

Photo credit: Ian Hearn via Macaulay Library

[birds--daily]

day 6

today's bird is the ruddy duck!

another top favorite of mine :0)

- the ruddy duck has the largest eggs of any duck relative to body size

- ruddy ducks are aggressive towards other species but are still relentlessly bullied by grebes

- ruddy ducks are very cute :0D

[birdblues]

Bufflehead

[rattyexplores]

Gruiformes: Porphyrio melanotus

Gruiformes: Gallinula tenebrosa

Anseriformes: Anser anser domesticus × anser cygnoides domesticus

Anseriformes: Chenonetta jubata

Gruiformes: Gallinula tenebrosa

Gruiformes: Fulica atra, note the wacky feet

Anseriformes: Anas superciliosa ssp. superciliosa

Charadriiformes: Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae

Columbiformes: Ocyphaps lophotes

Various southern bird life, and some GIF footage.

25/03/23 - Aves spp. - Wollongong, urban botanical garden

[life-on-our-planet]

🪶🦆American wigeon🦆🪶

[awkwardbirdsdaily]

Day 5 of January extinct birds - the Auckland Island merganser (male depicted)

Don't have the energy for a full doodlestration so something a bit quicker today. This merganser is what started this project! Mergansers are epic - they're ducks with the bill of a gharial, complete with 'teeth' and a crest. 10/10 creature design. So when I discovered mainland NZ (where I live) used to have mergansers I was in shock and immediately went googling for other extinct birds that I didn't know about.

The population was wiped out by people and introduced animals just 60 years after their discovery! By the time Europeans got to NZ, the auckland island merganser was restricted to islands, but there is evidence of indigenous people hunting mergansers on the mainlaind hundreds of years ago. It's possible that the mainland species was the chatham island merganser though they seemed to have went extinct thousands of years ago. These are strange amongst mergansers since they appeared to be marine birds, but all other mergansers breed in freshwater environments. Also, NZ mergansers and the very very endangered Brazilian merganser are the only species to live in the southern hemisphere.

Have I mentioned how cool mergansers are.

[vintagewildlife]

Flamingo By: Arthur A. Allen From: The Book of Bird Life 1961

[herpsandbirds]

Cotton Pygmy-Geese (Nettapus coromandelianus), family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, India

photograph by Rajesh Chaube

[fishsfailureson]

Might I interest you in this individual of the recently described genus and species Lavanttalornis hassleri from the Miocene of Austria, 12 MYA?

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Surprising Black Swans

A popular ornamental waterbird in Europe and North America, the black swan (Cygnus atratus) is a species of swan endemic to Australia and New Zealand. In both their native and introduced ranges they can be found near bodies of fresh or salt water, especially lakes and wetlands with plenty of aquatic vegetation. The species is highly nomadic, and migrate based on yearly rainfall patterns.

Black swans are the second largest swan species, with a maximum weight of 9 kg (19.8 lbs) and a wingspan of 2 m (6.6 ft). Despite being smaller, black swans have the longest neck of any swan. Males, also known as cobs, are slight larger than females-- aka pens. As their name suggests, C. atratus has black plumage, although the flight feathers on their wings are white. The beak is a bright red with a white stripe, thought to be indication of an individuals health and sexual maturity.

Like all swans, the black swan mates for life. In addition to their high fidelity rates, C. atratus is also unique for its high rates of homosexual couples; about 25% of pairings are between individuals of the same sex (primarily males). These mates are known to steal eggs from other nests or form temporary ‘throuples’ with a member of the opposite sex, and some research has shown that homosexual couples are more than twice as likely to successfully raise their young as heterosexual couples.

The mating season for black swans occurs from February to September. While pairs are generally solitary, groups will nest in the same area to increase the chances of finding a mate and decrease the risk of predation. Pairs form when one an individual approaches another and initiates a ritual known as the Triumph Ceremony, in which the individual extends their wings and calls out. If the mate is receptive, they will repeat the gesture, and the pair will then go through a synchronous dance to solidify their pairing. This ceremony is repeated multiple times throughout each breeding season to strengthen the pair’s bond and affirm that between parent and chick.

Females lay 5 or 6 eggs in a clutch, and will alternate incubating them with her partner for 35 to 48 days. After hatching, the young- also known as cygnets- are fairly precocial but will stay in or near the nest for 2 to 3 weeks. It takes up to 6 months for them to completely lose their grey down and grow their adult plumage, though they remain with their family units for up to 9 months. Once they have fully fledged, juveniles join groups of other cygnets for 1-2 years, at which point they become sexually mature.

Black swans can present an intimidating threat to potential predators, so there are few animals that attack fully grown adults. However, eggs and young cygnets can be a target for ravens, birds of prey, and rodents. C. atratus themselves are herbivores and feed primarily on aquatic vegetation.

Conservation status: the IUCN has classified the black swan as Least Concern, and their native populations are stable.

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Photos

Damian Shaw

Richard Tommy Campion

Susan Marley via iNaturalist

[snototter]

A pair of kelp geese (Chloephaga hybrida) in Antarctica

by Barbara Evans