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  Profile

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  In flight

Waterfowl

Falcated Duck

Mareca falcata

• rare
• 65 km/h
• Least Concern

Named for its sickle-curved wing feathers. The drake's iridescent green head and elaborate tertials make it hard to look at.

Population

87,000–100,000 mature individuals (~132,500–150,000 total birds), stable trend

Habitat

Lowland wetlands: water-meadows, lakes, and marshes in open or partly wooded valleys for breeding; winters on lowland rivers, lakes, flooded meadows, and occasionally coastal lagoons/estuaries (majority of stopover use, ~82%, is inland rather than coastal)

Fun fact

The species gets its name from the male's elongated, sickle-shaped (falcated) tertial feathers that curve down over the wings, paired with an iridescent bronze-and-green head and a maned nape.

Range

Breeds in southeastern Siberia, northern Mongolia, northeastern China, and northern Japan; winters mainly on the Korean Peninsula and eastern/southern China, with smaller numbers across South and Southeast Asia (India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam)

Diet

Primarily herbivorous — aquatic vegetation, seeds, grains, and nuts obtained by dabbling and grazing — supplemented with small invertebrates such as insect larvae, crustaceans, and mollusks

Size

0.5 m

Wingspan

0.85 m