Overview
This duck is around the same size as a mallard and has a scaly patterned body with a green speculum bordered by white. At rest the white stripe stands out and the long neck and the bill with yellow tip and orange red spots at the base are distinctive in the nominate subspecies. The red spots at the base of the bills are absent in haringtoni. These are mainly grey ducks with a paler head and neck and a black bill tipped bright yellow. The wings are whitish with black flight feathers below, and from above show a white-bordered green The male has a red spot on the base of the bill, which is absent or inconspicuous in the smaller but otherwise similar female. The male does not have an eclipse plumage. The legs and feet are bright orange to coral red. Juveniles are browner and duller than adults. The eastern spot-billed duck is darker and browner; its body plumage is more similar to the Pacific black duck. It lacks the red bill spot, and has a blue speculum. Both males and females undergo a complete post-breeding moult, dropping all their wing feathers simultaneously.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Bird
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Anas
- Species
- poecilorhyncha
Habitat
They tend to avoid very large patches of open water and prefer medium-sized wetlands with vegetation cover.
Diet
Indian spot-billed ducks feed on plants, including crops such as rice, as well as invertebrates including snails.
Behavior
It is quite gregarious outside the breeding season and forms small flocks. The northernmost populations have expanded their range northwards by more than 500 km since the early 20th century, possibly in reaction to global warming. Both the male and female have calls similar to that of the mallard. Mallards and eastern spot-billed ducks have been known to hybridize in the wild in eastern Russia and their genetic closeness has been examined in many studies. They are seen isolated from other species and usually in pairs or small groups and when disturbed they can take off easily and nearly vertically from the water.
Hunting
They were hunted extensively in British India, noted for their excellent taste. When shot at, especially when in moult, they are known to dive and remain underwater to evade capture. In southern India, a method of hunting involved using floating bundles of rushes on which the hunters lay in wait.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by IUCN.