Spatula querquedula
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Mass
~330 g
Habitat
Wetlands and marshes
Diet
Aquatic plants
How to recognize it
Garganey is a small, active duck with a neat shape and a voice you notice quickly. In spring, the drake is easiest to remember by the broad white stripe above the eye rather than by the rest of its plumage.
It moves briskly and can lift off the water almost at once, with fast, twisting flight. The male gives a dry, crackling call, while the female is usually quieter but can still make a short quack.
It breeds around shallow lakes, grassy floodplains, and quiet waters with low, reed-filled edges. In the breeding season it feeds mainly on animal food, especially mollusks, then shifts more toward seeds and other plant matter later in the year; for winter it leaves entirely and heads far south.
Quick Facts
Listen to the call
Garganey is a small, active duck with a neat shape and a voice you notice quickly. In spring, the drake is easiest to remember by the broad white stripe above the eye rather than by the rest of its plumage.
It moves briskly and can lift off the water almost at once, with fast, twisting flight. The male gives a dry, crackling call, while the female is usually quieter but can still make a short quack.
It breeds around shallow lakes, grassy floodplains, and quiet waters with low, reed-filled edges. In the breeding season it feeds mainly on animal food, especially mollusks, then shifts more toward seeds and other plant matter later in the year; for winter it leaves entirely and heads far south.
