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The male of White-headed Duck in breeding plumage has mostly brownish-rusty color with little blackish-brown strikes and spots. The head is white with the black crown and black collar. The flight feathers are brownish, the axillaries are white, the tail is black; the upper tail coverts are dark-rusty, undertail is buffy with black strikes. The breast and flanks with the brown-rusty and black washing cross strips. The abdomen is grayish-brown. The female is distinguished from the male by the head's color; the female head is mostly dark-brown with the quite broad white strips above the eye and on the neck; the collar is grayish with brownish spots; the uppertail coverts are cross-striped. The male's bill is bright-blue, the female's one is grayish-blue; the legs are grey slightly greenish tinged. The eyes are nut-brown. Weight 510-890 grams, wing length 145-170 mm.

Biology

The White-headed Duck is rare breeding migrant. Inhabits fresh and slightly salty deep lakes with reed-beds and open water on plains. Appears very late, rarely mid March, mainly April – end May. Migrates in small flocks of up to two dozen; migration probably mainly at night. Breeds in separate pairs. Nest is built from fresh reed leaves and rarely lined with down; rests on water in reed-beds or on floating old reed stems. Clutches of 5-7 very large eggs end May – mid-July. Juveniles recorded mid-June – end August. I.A. Dolgushin (1960) suggested White-headed Duck does not brood eggs constantly as they can incubate independently. Barely noticeable autumn migration from mid-September to end October; some birds linger until mid-November.

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. "Птицы Казахстана" том 1. "Наука". Алма-Ата, 1960. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999.