Scientific name: Anas acuta Linnaeus, 1758
Bird group: Ducks
Field characters. 56 cm. Slender, long-necked dabbling duck with pointed tail. Male with chocolate brown head and upper neck, conspicuous white neck and breast, and long pointed tail. Upperparts and flanks grey. Male in eclipse plumage and juvenile resemble female, but with darker upper parts; eclipse male has black bill with grey edges. Female difficult to distinguish from similarly coloured females of Mallard and Gadwall but has slender body and neck, pointed tail, indistinct speculum and grey bill. In flight, white trailing edge on secondaries.
Voice. Silent. Male a low pitched whistle. Female a rattling sound and low pitched "quarck".
Distribution. Rare breeding bird.
Habitat. Marshy, open surroundings, aquatic habitats of lowland grassland or prairie. Nests in grass, heath, dunes; usually on dry ground and not near water. In winter prefers seacoasts and estuaries, floodlands and nearby inland waters.
Food. Feeds mainly from mud bottom by up-ending, taking plant material (seeds, tubers, rhizomes) and animal prey (waterbeetles, insect larvae, molluscs, crustaceans, and tadpoles).
Eggs. Unmarked, ground colour yellowish-white or sometimes yellowish-green. Texture smooth, not glossy. Shape subelliptical/long subelliptical. Size 55 x 39 mm (48-60 x 36-42), weight 43 g (37-50).