Spur-winged Goose

Plectropterus gambensis

Inland waters. Pink bill and variable amount of white.

Ducks, Geese

Not Endemic

Description

Common resident. Very large size and glossy black plumage diagnostic. Male has fleshy caruncle on the forehead and a variable amount of white on the face and underparts, least in southern populations. In flight the prominent white forewings distinguish this species from Knob-billed Duck. Immature is brown, showing little or no white. Not very vocal; male utters a soft, high-pitched ‘cherwit’ in flight; either sex a four-syllable ‘chi-chi-chi-chi’. Occurs in flocks in a variety of wetlands in bushveld, especially favouring floodplains. They fly in ‘V’-formations or staggered lines. Perches in dead trees. Very large numbers may gather on deep waters during winter wing-moult, diving if pursued.

Quick Facts

Bird Family

Most of the region's ducks are either migratory to some extent or locally nomadic, their movements being dictated by food, rainfall and breeding requirements. Many show marked plumage differences between the sexes. Ducks and geese undergo a flightless four-to-eight-week period each year when they moult all their flight feathers simultaneously. The large Spur-winged and Egyptian Geese differ from geese of the northern hemisphere in having longer bills and legs, the African Pygmy-Goose being our only representative of the ‘true' geese. Ducks of the genus *Dendrocygna* (whistling ducks), which include the White-faced and Fulvous whistling ducks, differ from those of other genera in having close-set legs placed well back on the body. This enables them to stand erect and walk without waddling. In addition they show no sexual dimorphism and have whistling voices. In contrast, ducks of the genus *Anas*, often referred to as dabbling ducks, have widely spaced legs placed centrally on the body. This causes them to stand with the body horizontally and to walk with a waddle. They are further typified by quacking voices.