White-headed Duck
The White-headed Duck is a small stiff-tailed duck. Adult males have a grey and reddish body, a blue bill and a largely white head with a black cap and neck. Adult females have a grey-brown body with a white face and a darker bill, cap and a cheek stripe.
The White-headed Duck dives and swims underwater and it is omnivorous with vegetable matter predominating. They are reluctant to fly, preferring to swim for cover.
The White-headed Duck breeds in Spain and North Africa with a larger population in western and central Asia. Their breeding habitat is large tracts of open water with dense stands of aquatic plants to provide cover and nesting sites.
The White-headed Duck is considered to be endangered due to a large reduction in populations in the last 10 years. Most of this decline is due to habitat loss and hunting but inter-breeding of the Spanish population with the introduced Ruddy Duck is a more recent threat. This has led to the attempted eradication of the American species from western Europe.
This bird was part of the captive collection at the WWT London Wetland Centre.
Date: 7th March 2015
Location: WWT London Wetland Centre, Barnes, Greater London
The White-headed Duck dives and swims underwater and it is omnivorous with vegetable matter predominating. They are reluctant to fly, preferring to swim for cover.
The White-headed Duck breeds in Spain and North Africa with a larger population in western and central Asia. Their breeding habitat is large tracts of open water with dense stands of aquatic plants to provide cover and nesting sites.
The White-headed Duck is considered to be endangered due to a large reduction in populations in the last 10 years. Most of this decline is due to habitat loss and hunting but inter-breeding of the Spanish population with the introduced Ruddy Duck is a more recent threat. This has led to the attempted eradication of the American species from western Europe.
This bird was part of the captive collection at the WWT London Wetland Centre.
Date: 7th March 2015
Location: WWT London Wetland Centre, Barnes, Greater London
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