Thalassornis leuconotus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The white-backed duck (Thalassornis leuconotus) is a waterbird of the family Anatidae. It is distinct from all other ducks, but most closely related to the whistling ducks in the subfamily Dendrocygninae, though also showing some similarities to the stiff-tailed ducks in the subfamily Oxyurinae. It is the only member of the genus Thalassornis.
These birds are well adapted for diving. On occasions they have been observed to stay under water for up to half a minute. They search especially for the bulbs of waterlilies, but also seeds and leaves of waterlilies and other water plants and the young feed on lake flies larvae as well. From danger, they also escape preferentially by diving; hence, the namesake white back is hardly visible in life.
White-backed ducks live in Africa, especially between Senegal and Chad in the west, Ethiopia in the east, and South Africa in the south. Their habitat consists of lakes, ponds, swamps and marshes where they are well camouflaged against predators.
There are two subspecies, Thalassornis leuconotus leuconotus and Thalassornis leuconotus insularis. The latter lives entirely on Madagascar... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 6 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 8 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slimbridge Wetland Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | The Green Zoo Wuppertal | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Centro Cicogne e Anatidi | 🇮🇹 Italy |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-backed Duck sighting in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 242nd most-seen of the 283 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-backed Duck in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in April–September and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-backed Duck sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate White-backed Duck sightings, uMkhuze Game Reserve ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 30%), Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 10%) and Amboseli National Park (Kenya, about 10%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the White-backed Duck that you can see in uMkhuze Game Reserve (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Egyptian Goose (about 40%), White-faced Whistling Duck (about 20%) and Spur-winged Goose (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-backed Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in uMkhuze Game Reserve (10 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.
