The Northern Yellow-Billed Duck (Anas undulata rueppelli) is a residential (non-migratory) duck of southern and eastern Africa, from Ethiopia and Sudan to Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa.
The Northern Yellow-Billed Duck is mainly grey with a dark-coloured head and bright yellow bill (beak). Its wings are white with some green. The Northern Yellow-Billed Duck is darker than the Southern Yellow-Billed Duck (Anas undulata undulata), with a brighter yellow beak.
Northern Yellow-Billed Duck
The Northern Yellow-Billed Duck is about 59 centimetres (23 inches) long and lives in freshwater lakes. It is omnivorous because it eats fruits, seeds, leaves, insects, water beetles, grasshoppers, and small crabs.
Animals that prey on them include Black-Backed Jackals and Tawny Eagles.
Females build a nest near the water in thick reeds. She lays about 6-12 eggs that take about 26-29 days to hatch. The chicks get all their feathers after about 68 days, but they usually stay with their mother for another six weeks.
Female Northern Yellow-Billed Ducks quack, but male ducks whistle.
Northern Yellow-Billed Duck
Northern Yellow-Billed Duck
Northern Yellow-Billed Duck
Northern Yellow-Billed Duck
Northern Yellow-Billed Duck
Northern Yellow-Billed Duck
Northern Yellow-Billed Duck
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM