White-backed Duck

Due to a certain resemblance with shovelers, the White-backed Duck was initially classified in the Oxyurinae. Today, it is considered more as a Dendrocygninae, the only representative of its genus. Hard to be confused with another duck, it could be mistaken with a grebe due to its particular colors. There is no sexual dimorphism even though males tend to be slightly bigger than females. The face is black-brown up to the eyes which stand out badly. Two white spots below the lores contrast strongly with the dark face and black-brown beak. This last one is more or less spotted with yellow and presents a strong lobe. The neck and sides of the head are chamois, the latter very speckled with black-brown. Dark and bristled feathers on the back of the crown and descending on the neck in a dark line occasionally give the bird a crested aspect. The rest of the body is covered with a plumage showing an able mixture of black-brown and beige-chamois which makes the bird very cryptic in a context of aquatic vegetation. A largely white back appears when the bird is in flight or when it splashes. The tail is extremely short. The legs are gray-greenish. The juvenile is similar to the adult but more dull. The white spots on both sides of the beak are also less visible. The insularis subspecies, smaller than the nominate one, reproduces itself in Madagascar. Its general aspect is darker.