White-backed Duck (Thalassornis leuconotus)
About the White-backed Duck
The white-backed duck (Thalassornis leuconotus) is a waterbird of the family Anatidae. It is distinct from all other ducks, but most closely related to the whistling ducks in the subfamily Dendrocygninae, though also showing some similarities to the stiff-tailed ducks in the subfamily Oxyurinae. It is the only member of the genus Thalassornis. These birds are well adapted for diving. On occasions they have been observed to stay under water for up to half a minute. They search especially for the bulbs of waterlilies, but also seeds and leaves of waterlilies and other water plants and the young feed on lake flies larvae as well. From danger, they also escape preferentially by diving; hence, the namesake white back is hardly visible in life.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 3 recordings for this species: 2 CC BY-NC-SA. 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 South Africa, Zambia in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Other birds you can hear here
- African BroadbillSmithornis capensisrecording
- African CuckooCuculus gularisrecording
- African GoshawkAccipiter tachirorecording
- African HoopoeUpupa africanarecording
- African Pied WagtailMotacilla aguimprecording
- African Reed WarblerAcrocephalus baeticatusrecording
These are the birds recorded alongside it, not close relatives — the site holds no other member of its genus or family yet.