Garganey (Anas querquedula) breeds in both eastern and western Palearctic and migrates to the Orient and Africa for winter. This is also found occasionally wintering in Australia. It is considered common in the Philippines in fall and winter. This is a small duck usually about fifteen inches long. The dark head (brown and black) with a white eye stripe that curves down along the neck help identify the male of this species.

There are no subspecies.

The dabbling ducks genus (Anas) is found almost worldwide. There are about 39-42 species. These generally are not large ducks as most weigh less than 3 pounds. Many males are brightly colored while many of their mates are basically brown. The wigeon group, teals, shovelers, pintails, and mallard group belong in this genus. Dabbling ducks can breed when one year old.

The pink eared duck (Malacorhynchus membranaceus) and the marbled teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) are closely related and can be combined with the Anas genus to make a tribe. However, others combine up to an additional 20 species to create the subfamily Anatinae.

In the Northern Hemisphere many of these species migrate, and are hunted for food and sport in the fall.

Surface Ducks (Tribe or Subfamily Anatinae) contains the familiar ducks. Wood Ducks, Teals, and Mallards belong here.

Following is a list of 64 species:

PERCHING & MISC DUCKS (15 SPECIES)
* Aix sponsa - Wood - North America
* Aix galericulata - Mandarin - Orient & introduced
* Cairina hartlaubi - Hartlaub - West Africa
* Cairina moschata - Muscovy - South America
* Cairina scutulata - White Wing - India to Java
* Nettapus pulchellus - Green Pygmy - Austr./New Guinea
* Nettapus coromandelianus - Cotton Teal - India to Australia
* Nettapus auritus - African Pygmy - Africa
* Callonetta leucophrys - Ringed Teal - South America
* Chenonetta jubata - Austral. Wood - Australia
* Amazonetta brasiliensis - Amazon Teal - South America
* Malacorhynchus membranaceus - Pink Ear - Australia
* Salvadorini waigiuensis - Salvador's - New Guinea
* Lophonetta specularioides - Crested - Andes
* Speculanus specularis - Spectacled - Andes

DABBLING DUCKS 49 - (44 Anas, 5 Netta species)
Anas acuta - N. Teal - Holarctic
Anas america - Amer. Widgeon - New World
Anas aucklandia - N. Zelnd Teal - New Zealand
Anas bahamensis - Bahama Pintail - Amer Tropics
Anas bernieri - Madgscr Teal - Madagascar
Anas capensis - Cape Teal - Africa
Anas carolinensis - Grn Wing Teal - North America
Anas castanea - Chestnut Brst - Australia
Anas chlorotis - Recent Division - New Zealand
Anas clypeata - Northern Shov - North Hemisphere

Anas crecca - Grn Wing Teal - Old World
Anas cyanoptera - Cinnamon Teal - New World
Anas discors - Blue Wing Teal - New World
Anas eatoni - Eatons Pintail - Indian Ocean
Anas erythrorhynchos - Red Bill P-Tl - Africa
Anas falcata - Falcated Teal - Eurasia
Anas flavirostris - Chilean Teal - Neotropic
Anas formosa - Baikal Teal - Old World
Anas fulvigula - Florida Duck - South USA
Anas gibberifrons - Gray Teal - Orient/Australia

Anas georgica - Georgian Teal - Neotropic
Anas gracilis - Grey Teal - NG & Australia
Anas hottentota - Hottentot Teal - Africa
Anas hybrid (Not counted as a species)
Anas laysanensis - Laysan Teal - Pacific Isles
Anas luzonica - Philippine Duck - Orient
Anas melleri - Mellers Duck - Africa
Anas nesiotus - Teal (New Zld) - Campbell Isle
Anas penelope - European Wign - Old World
Anas platalea - Argentine Shvl -South America
Anas platyhynchos - Mallard - Worldwide

Anas poecilorhyncha - SpotBill - Old World
Anas puna - Puna Teal - Andes
Anas querquedula - Garganey - Old World
Anas rhychotis - Australian Shl - Australian
Anas rubrieps - NA Black Duck - North America
Anas sibilatrix - Chiloe Widgeon - Neotropic
Anas smithi - Cape Shoveler - Africa
Anas sparsa - Afr Black Duck - Africa
Anas strepera - Gadwal - Worldwide
Anas supercilosa - Pacific Black - Orient/Australia

Anas theodori - Mascarene Teal - Near Madagascar
Anas undulata - Afr Yellow Bill - Africa
Anas versicolor - Versicolor Tl - South America
Anas wyvillliana - Hawaii Duck - North America

Marmaronetta angustiros. - Marbled Teal - Near East & Africa
Netta erythrophthalma - Southern Poch - Africa & S America
Netta peposaca - Rosybill - South America
Netta rufina - Red Crested - Eurasia
Rhondonessa caryophyll. - Pink Head - EXTINCT Orient

(The list above is based on H&M per 2003. However, in our data base, we have placed everything in alphabetical order. Furthermore, we have left a very few species in the genus Anas that have been recently moved into the first 15 species above. )

Duck and Geese Family (Family Anatidae) contains the familiar ducks and geese. There are about 155 species in this family. (Excluding the 9 Whistling Ducks or 164 including them)

Some forms are sometimes regarded as species, and at other times are regarded as subspecies. An attempt has been made here to include as species those forms that frequently appear both ways (Anas crecca/carolinensis, for example).

It is also difficult to exactly count the species, as some authors ignore recently extinct species, and other authors include them in their counts. The following recent extinctions have also been included in the lists that follow as these may cause problems for the taxonomist trying to tie out exact counts:

Labrador Duck - Camptorhynchus labradorius
Korean Shelduck - Tadorna cristata
Madagascan White-Eye - Aythya innotata
Auckland Merganser - Mergus australis
Pink Headed Duck - Rhodonessa caryophyllaca
Sheldgoose-Mauritius - Alopochen mauritianus
Sheldgoose-Reunion - Alopochen kervazoi

This family is usually divided into several tribes as it helps the taxonomist and student alike in learning the many species. There is no agreement upon the natural subdivisions of this family. The following divisions were arbitrarily chosen and placed into an arbitrary order:

Surface Ducks - Anatinae - 64 species
Geese and Swans - Anserinae - 24 species
Freckled Duck - Stictonettinae - 1 species
Tadorna Group - Tadorninae - 25 species
Diving Ducks - Aythyinae - 25 species
Mergansers - Mergini - 7 species
Ruddy Ducks - Oxyurinae 9 species
Total 155 species

Waterfowl Order (Order Anseriformes) contains three different families of rather divergent appearance and habitat. The South American (Neotropical) Screamers contains three species. The Magpie-Goose family contains one species. And the worldwide ducks and geese (including the whistling ducks) contains about 164 species to total about 168 species in the order. Actually, at least seven of Anseriformes species are recently extinct, and different authors count these differently.

We herein separate the whistling ducks (Dendrocygninidae) into a separate order and family.

The members of this order have three foreward pointing toes that are webbed. The hind toe is free, but very small. The top bill is wide, and the lower bill is smaller. The diving ducks can have narrow bills.

Aves contains about 8,650 different species of living birds known to science. Each year about one new species is discovered in some remote rain forest or remote island. In addition, scientists have been raising many subspecies to full species status which may raise the species count to 10,000. Birdlife recognizes 10,027 species as of 2011.

However, each year about one species goes extinct. The rate of extinction is increasing, and the rate of new discovery is decreasing, so that the number of bird species will soon begin to decline rapidly. Although different taxonomists would organize the birds differently, there are approximately twenty-seven orders of birds. These orders are broken down into about one hundred and fifty-five different families.

Recent research of the genetic structure of some of the shore birds and owls would indicate that the present organization of orders and families should have some modification.

The birds are a worldwide group of animals that are characterized by having the front limbs modified into wings that are used for flying. Perhaps the most unique feature of the birds is the feathers. These feathers are made up of a central support called a quill and a series of small filaments that are hooked together as barbs.

For many years it was believed that Archaeopteryx discovered in Bavaria was the oldest bird from about 150 million years ago. However, in l986, Sankar Chattterjee, a Texas paleontologist, reportedly discovered a bird in the genus Protoavis that lived about 225 million years ago.

When this project was begun in 1978, we used Austin & Singer for bird taxonomy. Since then, we have adopted many changes, but have kept some older concepts that are still found widely in the literature. Recently, we have used Clements and Howard & Moore. Very recently, we have used Monroe and Sibley for the higher taxonomy of the perching birds.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

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