Diving duck
| Diving ducks | |
|---|---|
| |
| Greater scaup, Aythya marila | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Subfamily: | Anatinae |
| Tribe: | Aythyini |
| Genera | |
The diving ducks, commonly called pochards or scaups, are a category of duck which feed by diving beneath the surface of the water. They are part of Anatidae, the diverse and very large family that includes ducks, geese, and swans.
The diving ducks are placed in a distinct tribe in the subfamily
sequence data indicate that the dabbling and diving ducks are fairly distant from each other, the outward similarities being due to convergent evolution.[2]
Alternatively, the diving ducks are placed as a whistling-ducks.[3][failed verification
]
The mergansers, bufflehead and eiders
, are also sometimes colloquially referred to in North America as diving ducks because they also feed by diving; their subfamily (Merginae) is a very distinct one however.
Although the group is cosmopolitan, most members are native to the Northern Hemisphere, and it includes several of the most familiar Northern Hemisphere ducks.
This group of ducks is so named because its members feed mainly by diving, although in fact the Netta species are reluctant to dive, and feed more like dabbling ducks.
These are gregarious ducks, mainly found on fresh water or on
dabbling ducks
; their legs tend to be placed further back on their bodies to help propel them when underwater.
Systematics
Three
monotypic genus Asarcornis which is fairly close to Aythya and might belong into this subfamily.[2]
Family Anatidae
- Subfamily Anatinae
- Tribe Aythyini
- Genus Rhodonessa
- extinct(1945?)
- Genus Marmaronetta
- Marbled duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris)
- Genus Netta (provisionally including Rhodonessa)
- Red-crested pochard (Netta rufina)
- Southern pochard (Netta erythrophthalma)
- Rosy-billed pochard (Netta peposaca)
- Genus Aythya
- Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)
- Common pochard (Aythya ferina)
- Redhead(Aythya americana)
- Ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris)
- Hardhead (Aythya australis)
- Baer's pochard (Aythya baeri)
- Ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca)
- Madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata) – feared to be extinct, rediscovered (2006)
- Réunion pochard, (Aythya cf. innotata) – extinct (c. 1690s)
- New Zealand scaup (Aythya novaeseelandiae)
- Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula)
- Greater scaup (Aythya marila)
- Lesser scaup (Aythya affinis)
- Genus Rhodonessa
- Tribe Aythyini
References
- ^ The Auk. 116 (3): 792–805. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ^ JSTOR 4089339. Retrieved 22 July 2010.)
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ISBN 0-517-03288-0.
- JSTOR 4088937. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ISBN 0-946888-44-2.
- PMID 29203781.