The Maccoa duck (Oxyura maccoa ) is a stiff-tailed diving duck found across Eastern and Southern Africa.
An omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans. They ...
Polygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withAs members of the stiff-tailed duck group, Maccoas are often found wading in the water with their tail feathers cocked upwards. As diving ducks, their bodies are specialized for being agile underwater swimmers and thus have sacrificed the characteristics that allow them to move well on land. As a result, their legs are set further back on their bodies which makes them awkward when walking out of water.
Outside of the breeding season, Maccoa ducks tend to occupy inland waters - ranging from fresh to brackish - which are filled with nutrients. This includes lakes, ponds, salty flooded water pans, dams, river mouths, and even sewage ponds. All of these places provide ample space for the Maccoa to land, take off, and of course dive underwater for its food.
While breeding, these ducks enjoy similar habitats to those described above, but with one exception. A critical component of breeding grounds for Maccoas is the presence of both open freshwater and some adjacent emerging vegetation. These ducks have been found to especially prefer Typha species in their breeding habitats, and will usually build their nests in hidden bundles of these reeds.
As mentioned, the Maccoa duck is found throughout the southern and eastern countries of Africa. It is considered a sedentary species, meaning it does not migrate for winters or breeding, and simply moves around to find new wetlands for food and nesting. The main populations throughout Africa are spread quite far apart with large spatial gaps between them - this is likely because there is a lack of desirable wetland habitats for the ducks due to climatic variation across the continent. The global population in 2012 was believed to be ~11 000, and approximately 75% of these resided in southern Africa at the time; South Africa alone is still home to half of the global Maccoa population.
While many bird species can be negatively impacted by human disturbances and land-use change, Maccoa ducks have found a silver lining to water management techniques and human infrastructure. Many big groups of this species have been found living behind dams across Namibia - namely the Friedenau Dam, Borodino Dam, and the Walvis Bay Sewage Works. These large dams provide deep freshwater habitats for these diving ducks and may actually prove to be a benefit for the conservation of this species.
The Maccoa duck is an omnivore whose diet consists primarily of aquatic invertebrates and plants. The average dive lasts about 15 to 22 seconds, and it uses this time to fill its bill with dark debris sitting at the bottom of the lake or pond - a perfect habitat for many invertebrates. It then uses its mouth to sift through the material and keep the desired seeds, vegetation, and insects.
When foraging underwater for vegetation, Maccoa ducks will eat a variety of plants - but seem to prefer species from the Persicaria and Polygonum genera - and will feed on their seeds, roots, and other plant debris. These ducks will also predate on multiple stage classes of aquatic invertebrate species, including Tubifex worms, Diptera larvae, and Daphnia eggs. Other invertebrates on the Maccoa duck's menu include gastropods and ostracods.
This species mates and lays its eggs typically between January and May, and spends this time in small, defended freshwater habitats with emerging vegetation, as mentioned above.
The male Maccoa ducks are polygynous - meaning a single male will mate with multiple females - and they aggressively defend their breeding territory. These males do not provide any help with nest building or parental care. After mating, females remain in the male's territory and either build a new nest out of sedges, reeds, and down, or sometimes occupy the pre-existing nests of coots and grebes. Clutches are typically 5 or 6 eggs, but can reach up to 12 when females put their own eggs in another female's nest. In addition to this egg dumping, female Maccoas have also been observed abandoning their young both before and during incubation periods. The incubation period typically lasts from 25 to 27 days, but the fledging period is not well understood. Chicks are born with dark legs, feet, and bills, a white face, and are covered in grey-brown down.
Interestingly, the breeding plumage of male Maccoa ducks can be influenced by their social rank. A study of captive Maccoa ducks in 1985 found that submissive males who were aggressively hassled by more dominant males had a lower social ranking, and these same males actually failed to acquire flashy and bright breeding plumage.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...