Hartlaub’s duck in Uganda

Hartlaub’s duck is under the Anatidae family and it is also known as Pteronetta hartlaubii (A). The Hartlaub’s duck can be seen in Semuliki national park Uganda.

Besides Uganda, Hartlaub’s duck can be spotted in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Guinea, Gabon, Liberia, Congo, and Angola. They can live for about 20 to 30 years.

Scientific Classification

Common Name: Hartlaub’s duck, Hartlaub’s teal

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Anseriformes

Just like other ducks, males are called drakes, females are hens, while young are ducklings.

Analysis of mtDNA sequences of the cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 genes suggests that it belongs to a very distinct clade—possibly a subfamily of its own—together with the blue-winged goose, another African species of waterfowl with uncertain affinities.

The Hartlaub’s duck is a large in size with a black bill, dark yellow-brown legs and reddish-brown eyes. The head and upper neck are black with variable white on the forehead.

The breast, neck, and belly of the bird species are rich chestnut brown while the tail, rump, and upper wing are olive-brown.

The size of this bird is about 56 to 58 cm long while it weighs between 415 to 430g.

Hartlaub’s duck generally feeds so much during night hours and they feed on seeds, roots, and aquatic invertebrates like crustaceans, insects, arachnids, and mollusks.

It should be noted that no nest has ever been found in the wild for Hartlaub’s duck; however, some twitchers say that their nest sites are most likely to be in tree holes and hollow trees.

The primary threat of Hartlaub’s duck is the loss of habitat due to deforestation while other threats include hunting, increases in slash-and-burn cultivation, and poisoning.

Book your Uganda birding trip with Africa Adventure Vacations to spot several bird species.