Garganey

Habitat: The only duck that prefers small bodies of water hidden in marshy woods and the reed beds of shallow lakes. There it leads the same life as rails. It walks, wades, swims and crawls with ease through the virtually impenetrable tangle of plants in the silted-up zone. Frost makes this habitat uninhabitable for them in winter, so they are true migratory birds. They migrate at night and spend the winter on the other side of the equator.

Appearance: Summer visitor in temperate Europe, but in Spain, Portugal and large parts of Italy only a migrant. In Belgium and the Netherlands, a rare to fairly rare breeding bird – migratory – migrant in small numbers – winter visitor in extremely small numbers.

Breeding season: May – July, ground nest – The duck breeds in a dry spot in a usually marshy environment. It presses the nest pit into the ground with its breast and beak, laying 7 – 11 eggs.

Characteristics: length 37 – 41 cm, wingspan 60 – 67 cm, weight 350 – 450 grams, age over 13 years.

Food: More slurping than diving, collects water insects, worms, parts of aquatic plants, seeds, etc.