Netta
Genus of birds
Netta is a genus of diving ducks. The name is derived from Greek Netta "duck". Unlike other diving ducks, the Netta species are reluctant to dive, and feed more like dabbling ducks.
These are gregarious ducks, mainly found on fresh water. They are strong fliers; their broad, blunt-tipped wings require faster wing-beats than those of many ducks and they take off with some difficulty.
They do not walk as well on land as the dabbling ducks because their legs tend to be placed further back on their bodies to help propel them when underwater.
The probably extinct pink-headed duck, previously listed as Rhodonessa caryophyllacea, has recently been shown by phylogenetic analysis to be closely related to the red-crested pochard, so has now been transferred to the same genus, as Netta caryophyllacea. However, this has been questioned due to numerous and pronounced peculiarities of that species.
01Species
There are 3 recognized species.
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern pochard Male
|
Netta erythrophthalma (Wied-Neuwied, 1833) |
South America, Africa |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC |
| Rosy-billed pochard Male
|
Netta peposaca (Vieillot, 1816) |
South America |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC |
| Red-crested pochard Male
|
Netta rufina (Pallas, 1773) |
Europe, central/south Asia, northern Africa |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Netta”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Red-crested.pochard.slimbridge.arp.jpg by Arpingstone, Public domain
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