Swimming Birds

Duck (Eider)

admin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:55:10 +0000

The Eider Duck is often just called the Eider and is the largest and the fastest flying duck in England. It is a sea duck that can be found around most of the coasts of England, especially around rocky coasts. The Eider builds its nests close to the sea and lines the nest with ‘down’ feathers. The female Eider plucks the down feathers from her breast because these feathers are fine, fluffy and very soft which help to insulate eggs.

The Eider has a fat-looking body with a short neck and large head which looks almost flat. It also has a long, dark wedged-shaped beak. The adult female Eider is brown with darker brown streaks and markings all over the body, whereas the adult male is mainly white with a black crown, black sides, tummy and tail. The male also has lime-green markings on the back of its neck.

Eiders are quite sociable ducks that can often be seen in groups feeding together in summer and flying in flocks in winter. They look quite heavy in flight because they droop their necks and heads. When they fly low over water, they fly in neat lines with each duck following the duck in front and when they want to dive to find food, the Eider in front dives first and the ones behind follow and do the same. Eiders eat mussels, shellfish, crabs, starfish and sea urchins.

Duck (Tufted)

admin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:56:12 +0000

The Tufted Duck has its name ‘tufted’ because it has a tuft of long feathers which hang down from the back of the duck’s head. It is a diving duck that can be found throughout England on large lakes, reservoirs, slow-flowing rivers, in flooded gravel pits and even on lakes in city parks, especially if they have little islands where the Tufted Duck can nest on.

The Tufted Duck is a medium-sized duck with a short neck and a large round head. It has a long broad bill that is grey with a black tip. The bill is also bordered with a thin white stripe. The male has black upperparts, white sides and a white belly and the female has dark brown upperparts, lighter brown sides with darker markings and a white belly. Both the male and the female have small, bright orange eyes.

Tufted Ducks are quite sociable ducks and can often be seen in small groups feeding together. They can also become quite tame, especially if they live in parks that are often visited by humans. Tufted Ducks can dive up to fourteen metres deep in water when looking for food such as freshwater shrimps, mussels and crustaceans. They also eat insects and larvae from caddis flies.

Mallard

admin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:56:52 +0000

The Mallard is a large and heavy–looking duck that is very familiar and widespread in England. It can be found on small and large lakes, slow-flowing rivers, reservoirs, streams, canals and park lakes. The Mallard is often very tame and will often approach humans when looking for food.

The male Mallard is easily recognisable because it has a shiny, dark green head and neck which is bordered by a thin white stripe. It has a bright yellow beak with a small black tip. The breast of the male is a purple-brown and the upperpart and the sides of its body are a grey-silver colour. The female Mallard is brown with darker brown markings with a darker brown eye stripe. The female’s beak is a deep orange colour. Both the male and the female have bright orange coloured legs.

Mallards are quite sociable ducks that can often be seen in small flocks. Mallard pairs can also be seen together in spring and in winter. They often look for plant foods by tipping their heads in the water with their tails stuck out above the surface in the air. This is called ‘up-ending’. Mallards also look for food such as cereals, insects and insect larvae on fields away from water, especially in spring and winter.

Shoveler

Debbie — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:00:44 +0000

The Shoveler has its name 'Shoveler' because it has an large spatula-like beak which it uses to sift through water and mud to find food. It is a heavy-looking duck that can be found in many parts of England in wet grassland, marshes, small lakes or areas where there is shallow fresh water surrounded by vegetation.

The male Shoveler is easily recognisable because it has a shiny dark green head and a white neck. It also has long black and white feathers on the top part of its body.. Its sides are white and a deep orange colour which are divided partly by bright blue feathers. The female Shoveler is brown with darker brown markings with a brown eye stripe and white underwings. The male has bright orange-yellow eyes, but both the male and the female have bright orange legs and feet.

Shovelers are filter feeders and use their long beaks to scoop water into their beaks as they float on the surface of the water. Then they filter small plankton-like animals and plants by using the sides of their beaks which have tooth-like ridges running along them. They flush the water out of the sides of their beaks, but keep the food inside. Sometimes Shovelers look for food by tipping their heads in the water with their tails sticking out. This is called ‘up-ending’.

Water Rail

admin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:58:02 +0000

The Water Rail is a very small wetland bird that can be found throughout England near rivers, on the edges of lakes and ponds and in dense reedbeds and marshes. It is a very secretive bird that hides in dense waterside vegetation. It is more likely to be heard than seen because one of its distinctive calls sounds like a pig squealing.

The Water Rail has a very long red beak and orange-red coloured eyes. It also has quite long legs and toes which trail behind when the Water Rail is in flight. It has a blue-grey face, throat and belly and the top part of its body is a chestnut-brown colour with darker brown markings. Its sides are streaked with brown and white feathers and its short tail has white feathers underneath.

Water Rails usually walk very cautiously and often flick their tails when they feel uneasy. When they feel afraid, they bend their heads down and run very quickly to the safety of cover. Water Rails look for food on land and in water and often swim short distances when looking for small fish, freshwater shrimps, snails, frogs and watercress. On land they look for berries, fruit, plant shoots, roots of plants and sometimes small birds and even dead birds. They also eat insects and insect larvae.