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PLATE 4: DABBLING DUCKS II AND MERGANSER
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos WV
L: 56. W: 95. Large dabbling duck. Male has grey wings, dark blue speculum distinctly bordered
by white, and white underwing-coverts. Female mottled brown like other female ducks and told
by size, bill shape and colour, and wing pattern. Male in eclipse resembles female, but bill greenish-
yellow. Voice Male has a soft nasal raehb and, during courtship, a weak, high-pitched whistle
piu. Female gives familiar deep quacking. Habitat Any wetland, including estuaries in winter.
Note Arabian population feral; passage and winter hatched.Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata WV
L: 51. W: 78. Huge, spatulate bill. Swims with front end low and bill often dabbling in water. In
flight, wings appear set far back. Male unmistakable; in flight, looks black, white and chestnut with
distinctive blue forewing. Female and juvenile on water resemble female Mallard and Gadwall, but
bill distinctive; in flight, shows bluish forewing, somewhat resembling smaller male Garganey. Male
in eclipse largely resembles female, but brighter blue forewing. Voice Male calls a hollow, double-
note g-dunk, g-dunk, often in flight, while female simultaneously quacks pe-ett. Habitat Marshes,
lakes, ponds. Note Passage and winter hatched.Northern Pintail Anas acuta WV
L: 56 (excluding long tail feathers of male). W: 88. Slim and elegant dabbling duck. Male has white
neck and underparts with dark head and tail and dark slender bill. Female recalls other female
dabbling ducks, but note dark bill, greyer plumage and much slimmer appearance. In flight both
sexes show distinctly longer neck and tail, and slender, more pointed wings than other ducks; also
note green speculum with conspicuous white border to rear. Female has distinctive white border
at rear of secondaries; upperwing otherwise brownish. Voice Male has a low-pitched, weak
whistle; female a hoarse quack. Habitat Sheltered coasts and estuaries in winter; also shallow
inland waters. Note Passage and winter hatched.Garganey Anas querquedula PM, wv
L: 39. W: 63. Small dabbling duck. Male shows long white stripe on head and, in flight, striking
blue-grey forewing. Female similar to slighter female Eurasian Teal, but longer, heavier bill and
more contrasting dark and light head-stripes, widening in front into pale patch at bill base,
and whiter throat. In flight, female’s forewing is slightly paler and white border along secondaries
is distinctive (Eurasian Teal has white wing-bar in middle of wing in front of speculum). Male in
eclipse is like female, but wing pattern as adult male. Juvenile similar to female. Voice Male calls
a dry, drawn-out rattled knerreck; female a short, sharp quack. Habitat Freshwater wetlands.
Note Passage hatched; some winter in Arabia.Eurasian Teal Anas crecca WV
L: 36. W: 61. Commonest small duck; readily takes to the wing, both sexes showing white belly and
greyish underwing with light band through middle. Adult male distinctive; female rather similar to
Garganey (which see for differences). Often in fast-flying, tightly-knit twisting and turning flocks.
Voice Male has far-carrying ringing whistle kreek-kreek; female a high-pitched, nasal quacking.
Habitat Wetlands, from saltmarshes to lakes and ditches. Note Passage and winter hatched.Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator V
L: 56. W: 78. Conspicuous ragged wispy crest in both sexes. In fast direct flight, appears elongated
with long head and neck, and shows much white on inner wing. Male’s greenish-black head, thin
red bill, white neck collar and rusty black-spotted breast easily separate it. Female and juvenile
closely resemble female Goosander M. merganser, which is unrecorded in Oman, but smaller and
slimmer-billed, with more brownish (less greyish) upperparts, less contrasting head pattern, and
without sharp demarcation between brown head and greyish-buff neck and breast; flanks darkish
grey. Habitat Chiefly maritime. Note Winter hatched, often rare; vagrant in The Gulf to Oman.