Pteronetta hartlaubii
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Hartlaub's duck (Pteronetta hartlaubii) is a dark chestnut-coloured duck of African forests. Formerly included in the paraphyletic "perching duck" assemblage, it was later moved to the dabbling duck assemblage. However, it is distinct from the "typical" dabbling ducks, and is placed in the monotypic genus Pteronetta. It is named after the German naturalist Gustav Hartlaub.
Analysis of mtDNA sequences of the cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 genes suggests that it belongs into a distinct clade together with the blue-winged goose (Cyanochen cyanoptera), another African species of waterfowl. More recent genetic evidence has confirmed this clade, and further points to their belonging to a larger group of diving ducks, with their closest relatives being a clade containing marbled duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris), white-winged duck (Asarcornis scutulata), and the widespread genera Netta and Aythya; with these, they are next closest to Australian wood duck (Chenonetta jubata) in Australia, blue duck (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos) in New Zealand, and the pantropical comb ducks (Sarkidiornis).
On average, Hartlaub's ducks range from 56–58 centimetres... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Odzala-Kokoua National Park | 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo | |
| 2 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Tierpark Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Singapore Zoo | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 7 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 9 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 10 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 11 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hartlaub's Duck sighting in Semuliki National Park on a given day, based on 33 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 149th most-seen of the 280 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Hartlaub's Duck in Semuliki National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, May, August and October–December, the lowest months. That is one of Semuliki National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 140 mm in May.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hartlaub's Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Hartlaub's Duck sightings, Semuliki National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Odzala-Kokoua National Park (Republic of the Congo, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hartlaub's Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Semuliki National Park (33 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.
