Philippine Duck
A species of Anas Scientific name : Anas luzonica Genus : Anas
Philippine Duck, A species of Anas
Botanical name: Anas luzonica
Genus: Anas
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Nikolaj Mølgaard Thomsen
Description
The Philippine duck is a large conspicuous duck. It has a black crown, nape and eye stripe, with a cinnamon head and neck. The rest of its body is greyish brown with a bright green speculum. Its legs are greyish brown, and its bill is bluish-grey. The female is somewhat smaller than the male, but is otherwise the same.
Size
58 cm
Feeding Habits
Philippine Duck feeds on a varied diet including plants, rice, molluscs, crustaceans, shrimps, fish, frogs, and insects. They forage by dabbling and upending in shallow waters, primarily active during early morning, evening, and moonlit nights, and can gather in large groups in the dry season.
Habitat
Philippine Duck inhabits a diverse array of wetlands, including mountain lakes, pools, reservoirs, rivers, and saline environments like saltpans and coastal waters. They are typically associated with shallow freshwater bodies that feature marshy or vegetated areas suitable for foraging and nesting.
Dite type
Omnivorous
General Info
Distribution Area
The Philippine duck is known to inhabit all of the major Philippine islands and 8 minor islands, but since the 1980s most sightings have been on Luzon and Mindanao. Long-distance vagrants have been sighted in Okinawa and Taiwan. It is found in all types of wetlands within its range, but its preferred habitat is shallow freshwater marshland.
Species Status
The Philippine duck is rated vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The species has experienced steep population decreases since the 1970s mainly due to hunting and habitat loss. The ducks have been heavily hunted since the 1960s with thousands being hunted a year through the late 1980s. Habitat loss is mainly due to wetland drainage, aquaculture, mangrove destruction and fishpond creation. The species occurs in multiple protected areas including Manleluag Spring Protected Landscape, Mounts Iglit-Baco National Park, Naujan Lake National Park, Bataan National Park, Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park and Olango Island, a Ramsar wetland.