General

Falcated Duck: Medium-sized dabbling duck named for long, black and white, sickle-shaped (falcated) tertial feathers extending over black rump. Body white, black, gray in finely-scaled pattern; bolder on breast. Crested iridescent head is green and purple-brown. Throat is white with black ring; black tail and black-green speculum are both edged in white. Bill is black; top of base has small white spot. Female has scaled brown appearance overall with paler belly, gray bill, slight crest, short tertials, and no bill spot. Juvenile resembles female but is a paler buff-brown.

Range and Habitat

Falcated Duck: Breeds and winters in southeastern Asia but strongly migratory. Birds seen in North America beyond Alaska may be escaped captives from private collections or fully wild birds. Favors wetlands, small lakes, ponds, quiet rivers, estuaries, marshes. Near-threatenend in the wild. Most U.S. sightings occur between Pacific northwestern and central Californian coasts. Also seen on Baja peninsula, in Mexico, India, and Canada.

Voice Text

"whew- whew", "tsooh, tsooh"

Interesting Facts

 The Falcated Duck was once known as the Falcated Teal.

 It is widely recorded well outside its normal range, but the popularity of this beautiful duck in captivity clouds the origins of these extralimital birds.

 A group of ducks has many collective nouns, including a "brace", "flush", "paddling", "raft", and "team" of ducks.

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