African Pygmy-goose (Nettapus auritus)

Other Names (World)
African Pygmy-goose, Dwarf Goose, Pygmy Goose, African Pygmy Goose

Family
Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, Swans)

Size
30 - 33 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Boddaert, 1783)

Habitat
Permanent or temporary swamps, marshes, inland deltas, shallow lakes, pools, farm impoundments, flood-plains, slow-flowing rivers, coastal lagoons. Shows a preference for deep, clear waters with abundant emergent and aquatic vegetation, especially water-lilies.

Range (Guide)

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], C�te dIvoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania [United Republic of], Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Vagrant to Lesotho, S�o Tom� e Principe.

Senegal to Ethiopia southwards, except south-western Africa; Madagascar.

Population
Estimated population is 110,000 - 270,000 (2010).

Status LC
Habitat degradation such as the destruction of aquatic plant communities through the introduction of exotic fish, siltation, pollution, drainage, human disturbance and hunting are the main threats.

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Predominantly the seeds of water-lilies, although the seeds and vegetative parts of other aquatic plants, aquatic insects, small fish may also be taken.

Voice
Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (12)...)

African Pygmy Goose (Nettapus auritus) [XC267470]
by Andrew Spencer from Lake Awassa, Ethiopia (call)

African Pygmy Goose (Nettapus auritus) [XC213869]
by Daniel Danckwerts from Choma, Southern, Zambia (flight call)

Subspecies
No subspecies.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for African Pygmy-goose (Nettapus auritus) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

For more information about the African Pygmy-goose see... Show Articles

BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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