Black-headed Duck (Heteronetta atricapilla) Junenile swimming on water.
This bird is distributed in Southern South America, mainly Chile and Argentina, but is an austral winter migrant to southern Brazil, Uruguay and Bolivia. Male Black-headed Duck, Taim, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, August 2004 - click for larger image The Black-headed Duck is a brood parasite always laying its eggs in another bird's nest. A common host is the Red-fronted Coot (Fulica rufifrons) . The incubation period for the Black-headed Duck at about 24 days is shorter than that of the host's eggs. When hatched the duckling spends only a few hours in the nest before it is off looking after itself. The brood parasitism of the Black-headed Duck is therefore quite benign given that the host's eggs and young are not damaged and the duckling doesn't even require feeding.
Size: 3673px × 4565px
Location: Martin Mere nature reserve Rufford lancashire UK
Photo credit: © gary tack / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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