Garganey

The garganey (Anas querquedula) is a dabbling duck that is not often seen in the British Isles, but a small number of pairs do breed in southern and central England. It generally winters in tropical Africa or Spain, moving north into Europe around March and returning between July and September.

Garganeys are found on marshy and swampy sites, such as fens, water meadows and flooded ditches. They like plenty of vegetation to be in the vicinity, which is another reason why they are rarely seen in Britain.

  

The small number of breeding pairs that visit the UK (100 in a good year) puts the garganey on the amber list of bird species under threat. Although there are sometimes passing migrants to be seen as well as summer residents, this is still a rare bird to be spotted in Britain.

Appearance

Male birds are around 40 centimetres (15-16 inches) in length, with the females being slightly smaller at 36 centimetres (14 inches). This makes the garganey larger than the teal but considerably smaller than the mallard.

Male birds have quite distinctive plumage. The head and neck are a rich brown colour with a broad white stripe curving from above the eye to the nape of the neck. The upperparts are dark brown with paler mottling, the breast is pinkish brown with darker markings, and the belly is white, with a clear division between the breast and the belly. The other underparts are similar to the upperparts. 

Also of note are the scapulars (shoulder feathers) which are long and striped with blue-grey, black and white. The forewings are blue-grey and the underwings mainly white.

As is often the case when male birds, especially ducks, are distinctively coloured, the same cannot be said for the females of the species. Female garganeys are mottled brown in colour, with a white line on each side of the head both above and below the eye, and a white throat. Female garganeys can easily be mistaken for female teals, although they are considerably rarer in the British Isles.

Behaviour

The garganey is notable for being one of the fastest ducks in flight, able to reach speeds of 60 miles an hour. On land it is walks awkwardly. It swims quite low in the water, feeding mainly from the surface and only rarely up-ending. They are generally seen in pairs or small groups.

The male garganey has a dry, crackling rattle for a voice, with the female emitting short quacks. There is an audio clip of the call on this page of the RSPB website.

Food for garganeys consists of what they can gather from close to the surface of shallow water, or onshore. This is therefore green plants, seeds, insects, larvae, worms, spiders, molluscs, tadpoles and sometimes small fish.

Breeding

When they arrive at their nesting grounds garganeys are already paired, but they still perform a courtship display on arrival, with several pairs participating in a group. This consists of the males pursuing the females in a circle, with ruffled feathers and bills in the water. The males then nod their heads up and down and end the display by flying rapidly, close to the surface.

The female garganey builds the nest, comprising a shallow depression in the grass that is lined with fine vegetation. She lays a clutch of anything from eight to eleven eggs, incubating them alone for up to 25 days. She also tends to the chicks without help from her partner. Only one brood is reared in a season.

© John Welford