Everything about Dabbling Duck totally explained
The
Anatinae is a
subfamily of the
family Anatidae (
swans,
geese and
ducks). It is made up of the
dabbling ducks and the
moa-nalos, a young but highly
apomorphic lineage derived from them.
The dabbling ducks'
systematical status and what ducks belong to the Anatinae has been much disputed. As understood here, the subfamily contains only the dabbling ducks and their close relatives, the
extinct moa-nalos. Alternatively, the Anatinae are considered to include most "
ducks" and the dabbling ducks form a
tribe Anatini within these. The classification as presented here more appropriately reflects the remaining uncertainty about the interrelationships of the major lineages of
Anatidae (waterfowl).
Systematics
The dabbling duck group, of worldwide distribution, was delimited in a 1986 study to include 8 genera and some 50-60 living species. However,
Salvadori's Teal is almost certainly closely related to the
Pink-eared Duck, and other genera are likewise of unresolved affiliation. The peculiar
Marbled Duck, formerly tentatively assigned to the dabbling ducks, is actually a diving duck or even a distinct subfamily. These can't be assigned to a known genus, but probably are closest to
Anas. A most bizarre ducklike
fowl has been found on the
Hawaiian island of
Kauaʻi. Due to its unique
apomorphies (it seems to have had small eyes high and far back on its head) the placement of this
anatid is likewise unresolved; only dabbling ducks and true
geese are with certainty known to have colonized the
Hawaiian chain.
Frequently placed into the Anatinae are these genera, whose relationships must be considered uncertain at present:
Aix - Tadorninae?
Cairina - may be paraphyletic, with one species in Tadorninae and the other closer to diving ducks
Callonetta - Tadorninae?
Chenonetta - Tadorninae?
Pteronetta - may belong into a distinct clade with Cyanochen
Nettapus - part of ancient Gondwanan lineage?
On the other hand, the following genera, usually considered to belong into the Tadorninae, may actually be dabbling ducks:
Sarkidiornis
Tachyeres
Footnotes
Further Information
Get more info on 'Dabbling Duck'.
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