Oxyura maccoa
The Maccoa Duck (Oxyura maccoa) is a distinctive medium-sized diving duck, measuring approximately 48-52 cm (19-20.5 inches) in length with a wingspan of 60-70 cm and weighing between 600-800g. Males are strikingly colored with a glossy black head, a bright blue bill, and a rich chestnut body, while females and immatures are duller with a dark cap, buff cheeks bisected by a dark line, and a greyish-brown body. A key field mark for all sexes is their long, stiff tail, often held cocked vertica...
The Maccoa Duck primarily inhabits freshwater wetlands, including permanent and temporary shallow or deep lakes, lagoons, reservoirs, and sewage ponds, often with extensive emergent vegetation. They are typically found at elevations ranging from sea level up to 3,300 meters (10,800 feet) in the E...
Their diet primarily consists of aquatic invertebrates such as chironomid larvae, small crustaceans, mollusks, and insect larvae, supplemented by seeds and vegetative parts of aquatic plants. They forage by diving to the bottom of water bodies.
Highly aquatic, Maccoa Ducks spend almost all their time on water, rarely venturing onto land, and are expert divers. They are primarily diurnal, foraging actively during the day and roosting on open water. Their foraging strategy involves deep dives to feed on benthic invertebrates and aquatic v...
The Maccoa Duck exhibits a disjunct distribution across Africa, occurring in three main regions. The largest population is found in Southern Africa, spanning South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and parts of Angola and Mozambique. A separate, significant population exists in East Africa, in...
Near Threatened
- Maccoa Ducks are stiff-tailed ducks, a group known for holding their long, rigid tails erect like a rudder when swimming or displaying. - Unlike most ducks, they rarely walk on land, with their legs set far back on their bodies, making them exceptional divers but clumsy walkers. - Their eggs ar...