Anas sparsa
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The African black duck (Anas sparsa) is a species of duck of the genus Anas. It is genetically closest to the mallard group, but shows some peculiarities in its behavior and (as far as they can be discerned) plumage; it is accordingly placed in the subgenus Melananas pending further research.
The African black duck is a black duck with pronounced white marks on its back, a dark bill, and orange legs and feet. A purpish-blue speculum is often visible, especially in flight. It lives in central and southern Africa. It is also known as the black river duck, or (A. s. leucostigma) West African black duck or Ethiopian black duck. It is a medium-sized duck, with a length of 48–57 cm (19–22 in). The male is larger than the female.
The African black duck is mainly found in eastern and southern sub-Saharan Africa from South Africa north to South Sudan and Ethiopia with outlying populations in western equatorial Africa, in southeast Nigeria, Cameroon and Gabon.
It is a very shy and territorial duck. It is usually seen in pairs or small flocks. It breeds throughout the year in different areas. Incubation is about 30 days by... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aberdare National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Bale Mountains National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 3 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 10 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 12 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 13 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 14 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 15 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Lilongwe | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 3 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Lubango | 🇦🇴 Angola | |
| 6 | Addis Ababa | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 7 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | ZooParc de Beauval | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Réserve africaine de Sigean | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Cologne Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Zoologischer Garten Magdeburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Valencia Bioparc | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Bali Bird Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 9 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 10 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 11 | Cologne Zoo Aquarium | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 12 | Vogelpark Turnersee | 🇦🇹 Austria |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an African Black Duck sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 140 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 117th most-seen of the 196 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Black Duck in Cape Town on a given day, against under 5% in August and October–June, the lowest months. Those are among Cape Town's wettest months, with about 95 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in February.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Black Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 8
Of the 8 cities where we can rate African Black Duck sightings, Cape Town ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Johannesburg (South Africa, about 10%), Lilongwe (Malawi, about 10%) and Nairobi (Kenya, about 10%).
Same genus: Anas
The closest relatives of the African Black Duck that you can see in Cape Town (genus Anas, Mallards, Pintails, and Allies) are Yellow-billed Duck (about 40%), Red-billed Teal (about 10%) and Cape Teal (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Black Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Cape Town (140 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
