Willem is a wildlife artist based in South Africa. He says "My aim is simply to express the beauty and wonder that is in Nature, and to heighten people's appreciation of plants, animals and the wilderness. Not everything I paint is African! Though I've never been there, I'm also fascinated by Asia and I've done paintings of Asian rhinos and birds as well. I may in future do some of European, Australian and American species too. I'm fascinated by wild things from all over the world! I mainly paint in watercolours. . . but actually many media including 'digital' paintings with the computer!"

Here you see a couple of African Black Ducks, Anas sparsa. The scientific name means 'speckled duck'. I am indebted to my friend Daniel Engelbrecht for giving me permission to use a photo of his as reference for this painting. There are a couple of ducks in other parts of the world that are also called black ducks, hence the importance of putting African in its name. It occurs from southern to eastern Africa, with a few also found in west-central Africa. It doesn't appear to be particularly closely related to any other ducks in the genus Anas, and is sometimes placed into its own genus Melananas. It occurs from sea level up to an altitude of 4 000 m/13 000' altitude. It is largely absent both from arid regions and from tropical rainforests, though the west-central population does enter forest. This duck is not particularly common, but neither very rare, and I've seen it quite a few times.

In spite of its name, it is not really black, but more of a dark chocolate brown, with creamy barring on its back, wings and tail. Its legs and feet are yellowish, orange or brownish. Like many other related ducks, it has a patch of iridescent feathers on its inner wing, seen when it flies. This patch is called a speculum, and in the black duck is bluish-green. It is a rather large duck, reaching 57 cm (22.5") in length and a weight over 1 kg/2.2 lbs. Male and female look the same.

Unlike some other ducks like the Redbilled Teal, the African black duck has fairly specific habitat preferences. It is mostly seen on clear, flowing rivers and streams flanked by trees and with stony riverbeds. You get the idea that this duck prefers some seclusion. It is a strong swimmer, and thus able to swim against the current in swift-flowing mountain streams. But on occasion it does occur on sluggish or still, open water, where it may choose to roost and sleep rather than on the rapidly flowing streams where it feeds. When frightened, it will at first try to skulk and hide, but if pressed further it will fly rapidly along the river or stream, staying low and close to the cover of trees and shrubs. Male and female often stay close together, as seen in the painting. When flushed, both of them will call. The male utters a soft, wheezy call, while the female quacks loudly.

Black ducks are very aggressive in defending their territories, which vary in size depending on the availability of food. They eat the leaves, seeds and berries of riverside and aquatic plants, insects, molluscs, other invertebrates, and also small fishes. They dabble, dipping their bills in the water to snatch up titbits, or they submerge their entire heads, or 'upend' to reach downwards with their heads and necks. Sometimes they dive. They often forage in the lee of rocks in the stream. They stay in the river or on the riverbank, sometimes perching on boulders in or alongside the riverbed, or even trees, but they don't go deeper inland. Like many other wild birds, they are most active in the morning and late afternoon, resting during the mid-day.

Unlike most birds, black ducks breed in the dry season, when their streams flow slowly and the water level is low. Males become very aggressive and will chase each other out of their territories, beating each other with their wings. The male courts the female by diving displays and nibbling at her head and neck. They nest on the riverbanks in tangles of driftwood and debris, or tufts of grass, or tangles of tree roots, or close to a tree stump, well above the flood level. The female constructs the bowl-shaped nest out of grass, lining it with down. She lays 4 to 11 eggs, which she incubates alone. She also does the job of raising the ducklings after they hatch. Like all ducks, they're fluffy and hatch open-eyed. Their mum waits for them to dry out, and then lead them down to the water. They stay with her until they can fly, at about the age of 77 days, and then become independent. They then need to find their own territories. Once installed in a territory, a black duck will remain there for the rest of its life, barring calamities.

In nature, black ducks have few predators, but some birds of prey may target them from above, and in larger waterbodies, crocodiles might target them from below. They're largely safe, though, and the species is at present not endangered. These ducks may suffer from dam construction altering the flow of streams, from destruction of riverine vegetation, and from water pollution.

Willem

17.06.24 Front Page

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