African Black Duck (Anas sparsa)
About the African Black Duck
The African black duck (Anas sparsa) is a species of duck of the genus Anas. It is genetically closest to the mallard group, but shows some peculiarities in its behavior and (as far as they can be discerned) plumage; it is accordingly placed in the subgenus Melananas pending further research. The African black duck is a black duck with pronounced white marks on its back, a dark bill, and orange legs and feet. A purpish-blue speculum is often visible, especially in flight. It lives in central and southern Africa. It is also known as the black river duck, or (A. s. leucostigma) West African black duck or Ethiopian black duck. It is a medium-sized duck, with a length of 48–57 cm (19–22 in). The male is larger than the female.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 10 recordings for this species: 1 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Ethiopia, South Africa, Tanzania in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- Eurasian TealAnas creccarecording
- Green-winged TealAnas carolinensisrecording
- Indian Spot-billed DuckAnas poecilorhyncharecording
- MallardAnas platyrhynchosrecording
- Northern PintailAnas acutarecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.