Eastern Spot-Billed Duck

Fascinating facts about the Eastern Spot-Billed Duck

• Measuring 55-63 cm long with a wingspan of 83-95 cm, the eastern spot-billed duck weighs between 790 g and 1,500 g, about the same size as a mallard but sporting a darker, browner plumage and a bright orange leg. Its blue speculum and yellow-tipped bill make it stand out among other dabblers.
• During the breeding season, which runs from April to July depending on rain, the eastern spot-billed duck lays a clutch of 7-9 eggs. Incubation starts only after the final egg is laid, ensuring all chicks hatch together about 24 days later. The newborns are black with a yellow back and a wider eyestripe than mallard ducklings.
• Since the early 20th century, populations in Japan and the Russian Far East have pushed their breeding grounds more than 500 km northward, a shift scientists link to global warming.
• In eastern Russia, the eastern spot-billed duck sometimes mates with mallards, but males of the spot-billed species are more likely to pair with female mallards than the reverse.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Eastern Spot-Billed Duck

In the lush wetlands of East Asia, the Eastern Spot-Billed Duck glides effortlessly, its sleek, chestnut-brown body leaving barely a ripple on the tranquil waters as it forages for aquatic delicacies. With each stroke of its powerful wings, it navigates the dense vegetation with an air of quiet confidence, its distinctive yellow bill and spot marking it as a master of this serene and hidden world. As it paddles through the shallows, the soft lapping of the water against its feathers creates a soothing melody that underscores the gentle beauty of this unassuming, yet remarkable, creature.

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