Comb Duck ( Sarkidiornis melanotos, family: Anatidae)

Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Knob-billed Duck

comb duck kruger national park birds The Comb Duck (Latin name Sarkidiornis melanotos) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 115 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 98 also a picture of the Comb Duck on page 97. The Comb Duck belongs to the family of birds classified as Anatidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Comb Duck is also known by these other names: Knob-billed Goose, Black-backed Goose, Nakta, Nukta.

In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Comb Duck was called the Knob-billed Duck

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The Comb Duck is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident

In terms of distribution of the Comb Duck in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Comb Duck : see above distribution map.

The Comb Duck.

Knob Billed Comb Duck Kruger ParkIdentification assistance for this avian species ...

One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Comb Duck is a largish bird bigger than a Pied Crow. The height of the Comb Duck is about 75 cms and its weight is about 1920 gms

The male and female Comb Duck have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is black, blue, white.
  • Eye is brown.
  • Bill is black.
  • Throat is white.
  • Back is black.
  • Legs are grey.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Comb Duck feeds on the ground mainly

Invertebrates

Seeds

Aquatic life forms

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Comb Duck is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Sarkidiornis melanotos will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Comb Duck is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are ivory in colour and number between 8 to 11

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Comb Duck are: woodlands

You will normally see the Comb Duck in pairs or flocks and not as single birds.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Unknown

Zulu ... Unknown

Afrikaans ...Knobbeleend

German ... Hckerente

Portuguese ... Pato-de-carncula

French ... Canard bosse

Dutch ... Knobbeleend, Pronkeend

First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list

For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 115

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za