Oxyura maccoa
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The Maccoa duck (Oxyura maccoa) is a stiff-tailed diving duck found across Eastern and Southern Africa. As members of the stiff-tailed duck group, Maccoas are often found wading in the water with their tail feathers cocked upwards. As diving ducks, their bodies are specialized for being agile underwater swimmers and thus have sacrificed the characteristics that allow them to move well on land. As a result, their legs are set further back on their bodies which makes them awkward when walking out of water.
The breeding male Maccoa stands out with its cobalt blue bill extending from a completely black head and throat. The breast and back are chestnut coloured while the underparts are often greyish-brown, the rump is dark brown, and the tail and feet are black. In flight, the male's off-white underwing feathers and white axillaries can be seen. Non-breeding males closely resemble the females, except for a few points: a darker crown and hints of chestnut colour on the back.
The female Maccoa is less colourful. It boasts a greyish-black bill with a light tip, and a light brown face with a dark crown and cheek stripe, and an off-white throat. The female... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Liberty's Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Llys Nini | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Portland Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Maccoa Duck sighting in Garden Route National Park on a given day, based on 55 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 152nd most-seen of the 222 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.
June, September and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Maccoa Duck in Garden Route National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–August, October and December–May, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Maccoa Duck sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Maccoa Duck sightings, Garden Route National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 10%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Maccoa Duck that you can see in Garden Route National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Egyptian Goose (about 60%), Yellow-billed Duck (about 30%) and Cape Shoveler (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Maccoa Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Garden Route National Park (55 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
