Ducks: diversity, confusion, and ongoing genetic reclassifications.
Ducks can be roughly described as medium-sized waterfowl with a stocky body, short, webbed feet and a broad, flattened bill. They are gregarious, and in many species the males display flamboyant and contrasting colours during the mating season.
There are dabbling ducks, diving ducks, sea ducks and tree-dwelling ducks, all of which can be given a host of different common names: scaup, scaup, eider, merganser, goldeneye, teal, scoter and so on.
Not keen on these trivial distinctions, but nevertheless anxious to call a spade a spade, species classification specialists have been battling for a long time to bring some order and reason to this Babel. Genetic analyses have shown that some ducks that were once classed as ‘dabblers’ may actually be 'divers', while others may have joined the shelducks, which are now classified as a sub-family in their own right, leaving the Anatinae, i.e. the ‘real’ ducks!
Grand Prix du Jury
