Back to educational resources Flamingos Parrots Waterfowl Cranes Pheasants Hornbills Corvids Raptors Pigeons Turacos Cats Rodents Primates Ungulates Mongooses Iguanas Snakes Lizards Turtles Crocodilians Printable activity sheets Grades 6 and over Need Adobe acrobat? Waterfowl Anseriformes INDEX WHAT ARE WATERFOWL? TYPES OF WATERFOWL WATERFOWL AND MAN WATERFOWL IN THE BAHAMAS DUCKS GEESE SWANS WHAT ARE WATERFOWL? Waterfowl is the general term used to describe birds whose livelihood depends on the existence of wetlands, but more accurately refers to swans, geese, ducks and screamers. Together these birds are known as the Anseriformes. Return to Index. TYPES OF WATERFOWL Waterfowl are broken down into four main groups: Screamers (Anhimidae) Ducks, geese and swans (Anatidae) Whistling ducks (Dendrocygnidae) Magpie goose (Anseranatidae) Screamers, which get their name from the noise they make when danger approaches, are ristricted to South America and only contains 3 different species. They are included in the waterfowl group because of skeletal similarities, however, they look more like chickens than ducks or geese. The magpie goose is the least aquatic of all the waterfowl and contains only one species from Australia. Both the screamers and the magpie goose differ from the ducks, geese and swans by the fact that they only have partially webbed feet. All members of the waterfowl, except for the magpie goose, undergo a full simultaneous moult of the flight feathers and are flightless for a period of the year. Return to Index. WATERFOWL AND MAN For thousands of years, waterfowl have provided man with eggs, meat and feathers. He has hunted them, pursued them for sport and domesticated them. Four members of the waterfowl group have been domesticated for a very long time. The Eastern greylag goose was first domesticated in Egypt 4000 years ago. The mallard was domesticated in China 2000 years ago. The muscovy duck was domesticated by the natives of South America long before the Spaniards got there. The down feathers that Eider ducks pluck from their chests to line their nests has, for centries, been collected for insulating material in bedding, hence "eiderdowns". Waterfowl are dependent upon the exsistance of wetlands. Unfortunately, in the past wetlands have been considered nothing more than a wasteland and a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The wetlands were dredged, drained, filled and developed and all the wildlife that depended upon the wetlands drastically declined including the waterfowl. This is sadly still true today in much of the Bahamas, particularly on the island of New Providence. Return to Index. WATERFOWL IN THE BAHAMAS There are three waterfowl that are year-round residents in the Bahamas but many waterfowl that are migrant visitors to the Bahamas, flying from North America during the winter months. Below is a table of the different waterfowl found in the Bahamas. Family Species When found in the Bahamas Whistling ducks Dendrocygnidae Fulvous Whistling-duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) West Indian Whistling-duck (Dendrocygna arborea) Black bellied Whistling-duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) October-April Year round but rare Rarely flies through Ducks Anatinae Wood duck (Aix sponsa) Green-winged teal (Anas crecca) American Black duck (Anas rubripes) Mallard duck (Anas plathyrhynchos) White-cheeked pintailed duck (Anas bahamensis) Northern pintailed duck (Anas acuta) Blue-winged teal (Anas discors) Cinnamon teal (Anas cyanoptera) Northern shoveler (Anas clypeata) Gadwall (Anas strepera) American wigeon (Anas americana) Redhead (Aythya americana) Ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris) Greater scaup (Aythya marila) Lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) Hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) Red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator) Ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) Rare migrant Oct-Apr Uncommon migrant Oct-Apr Spotted once on San salvador Is. Rare migrant Oct-Apr Common year round Rare migrant Oct-Apr Common migrant Oct-Apr Vagrant species Uncommon migrant Oct-Apr Rare migrant Oct-Apr Uncommon migrant Oct-Apr Very rare migrant Oct-Apr Common migrant Oct-Apr Very rare migrant Oct-Apr Common migrant Oct-Apr Very rare migrant Oct-Apr Very rare migrant Oct-Apr Common year round (New Providence) Geese Anserinae Snow goose (Chen caerulescens) Canada goose (Branta canadensis) Rare migrant to Northern Bahamas. Oct-Apr Rare migrant to Northern Bahamas. Oct-Apr Return to Index. Back to educational resources Flamingos Parrots Waterfowl Cranes Pheasants Hornbills Corvids Raptors Pigeons Turacos Cats Rodents Primates Ungulates Mongooses Iguanas Snakes Lizards Turtles Crocodilians