Male African Comb Duck’s have a comb, or fleshy knob, at the base of the bill that increases in size during breeding season. Females do not have a comb and are smaller in size than the males. The African Comb Duck has been honored on at least ten African stamps.
Food
The African Comb Ducks diet consists mainly of grass seed and grain. Other foods include aquatic plants, insects, frogs and fish.
Habitat
African Comb Duck’s are tropical. They live in the wooded country of the lowlands in East and Central Africa. They prefer fresh water.
Predators
The threat to African Comb Duck’s is from hunting, poisoning by insecticides, and deforestation.
Social Structure
African Comb Ducks are considered peaceful ducks. They readily move to different areas to take advantage of better feed sites and have been known to travel up to 2200 miles when migrating. They graze on land and swim and wade to feed off the surface of the water, usually in the early morning and late evening. These ducks often form same sex groups.
Birth & Offspring
Breeding usually corresponds with the rainy season. African Comb Duck’s are polygamous, having more than one mate. The males can be aggressive during breeding season. The females usually nest in holes in trees but will nest in tall thick vegetation near inland water.
The nest is made of twigs and coarse grass with a lining of leaves, grass and feathers. The eggs hatch synchronously, or at the same time, in 28 – 30 days. The female incubates the eggs and tends to the ducklings until they begin to molt.
Senses
The African Comb Duck is very sensitive to cold.
Lydia King is a huge animal lover and has always been fascinated with learning about the animal kingdom. She enjoys writing about anything animal related from scientific information about rare species to animal references in pop culture.
