Anatidae

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Anatidae

Anatidae is the biological family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
that includes the duck
Duck

Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the Anatidae article; they do not represent a clade but a form taxon, being the Anatidae not considered swans and goose....
s, geese
Goose

Goose is the English-language name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
and swan
Swan

Swans are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes goose and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini....
s. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution

Cosmopolitan distribution

In biogeography, a biological category of living things is said to have cosmopolitan distribution if this category can be found almost anywhere around the world....
, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica

Antarctica

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, overlying the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctica of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean....
and on most of the world's islands and island groups. These are bird

Bird

Birds are wing, Bipedalismal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay egg . There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates....
s that are evolutionarily adapted for swimming, floating on the water surface, and in some cases diving in at least shallow water. (The Magpie-goose

Magpie-goose

The Magpie-goose, Anseranas semipalmata, is a waterbird species found in coastal northern Australia and savannah in southern New Guinea. It is a unique member of the order Anseriformes, and arranged in a Family and genus distinct from all other living waterfowl....
is no longer considered to be part of the Anatidae, but is placed in its own family Anseranatidae

Magpie-goose

The Magpie-goose, Anseranas semipalmata, is a waterbird species found in coastal northern Australia and savannah in southern New Guinea. It is a unique member of the order Anseriformes, and arranged in a Family and genus distinct from all other living waterfowl....
.) The family contains around 146 species in 40 genera

Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
.

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Encyclopedia

Anatidae is the biological family

Family (biology)

Cosmopolitan distribution

Antarctica

Bird

Magpie-goose

The Magpie-goose, Anseranas semipalmata, is a waterbird species found in coastal northern Australia and savannah in southern New Guinea. It is a unique member of the order Anseriformes, and arranged in a Family and genus distinct from all other living waterfowl....
.) The family contains around 146 species in 40 genera

Genus

Monogamy

Bird migration

Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather....
. A few species have been domesticated for agriculture, and many others are hunted for food and recreation. Five species have become extinct since 1600, and many more are threatened with extinction

Extinction

In biology and ecology, extinction is the death of every member of a species or group of taxon. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that species ....
.

Description and ecology

The ducks, geese and swans are small to large sized birds that have a general body plan that is broad and elongated. Diving species vary from this in being rounder. Extant species range in size from the Cotton Pygmy Goose

Cotton Pygmy Goose

The Cotton Pygmy Goose or the Cotton Teal, Nettapus coromandelianus is a small perching duck which breeds in India, Pakistan, southeast Asia and south to northern Australia....
, at as little as 26.5 cm (10.5 inches) and 164 grams (5.8 oz), to the Trumpeter Swan

Trumpeter Swan

The Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus buccinator, is the largest native North American bird, if measured in terms of weight and length, and is the largest living waterfowl species on earth....
, at as much as 183 cm (6 ft) and 17.2 kg (38 lb). The wings are short and pointed, and supported by strong wing muscles that generate rapid beats in flight

Bird flight

Flight is the main mode of animal locomotion used by most of the world's bird species. Flight assists birds while feeding, breeding and avoiding predation....
. They typically have long necks, although this varies in degree between species. The legs are short and strong and set far to the back of the body, more so in the more aquatic species. Combined with their body shape this can make some species awkward on land, but they are stronger walkers than other marine and water birds such as grebe

Grebe

Grebes are members of the Podicipediformes order , a widely distributed order of freshwater diving Avess, some of which visit the sea when Bird migration and in winter....
s or petrel

Petrel

This article is about the petrel seabirds. For other uses, see petrel . The flammable liquid is correctly spelt petrol.'Petrels' are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes....
s. They have webbed feet. The bills of most species are flattened to a greater or lesser extent. These contain serrated lamellae which are particularly well defined in the filter-feeding species.

Their feathers are excellent at shedding water due to special oils. Many of the ducks display sexual dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. Examples include color , size, and the presence or absence of parts of the body used in courtship displays or fights, such as ornamental feathers, horns, antlers or tusks....
, with the males being more brightly coloured than the females (although the situation is reversed in species like the Paradise Shelduck

Paradise Shelduck

The Paradise Shelduck, Tadorna variegata, is a large goose-like duck Endemic to New Zealand. They are known to the Maori as Putangitangi but now commonly referred to as the "Paradise duck", and are prized game birds....
). The swans, geese and whistling-ducks lack sexually dimorphic plumage. Anatids are vocal birds, producing a range of quacks, honks, squeaks, and trumpeting sounds, depending on species; the female often has a deeper voice than the male.

Anatids are generally herbivorous

Herbivore

Herbivory is a form of predation in which an organism, known as an herbivore, heterotrophs principally autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria....
as adults, feeding on various water-plants, although some species also eat fish, molluscs, or aquatic arthropods. One group, the mergansers, are primarily piscivorous

Piscivore

A piscivore is a carnivore animal which lives on eating fish.Some animals, like the sea lion, or alligator, are not completely piscivores, while others, like the Aquatic Genet, are strictly dependent on fish for food....
, and have a serrated bill to help them catch fish. In a number of species, the young include a high proportion of invertebrates in their diet, but become purely herbivorous as adults.

Breeding

The anatids are generally seasonal and monogamous

Monogamy

Monogamy is the state of having only one husband, wife, or sexual partner at any one time. The word monogamy comes from the Greek word monos "?????", which means one or alone, and the Greek word gamos "?????", which means marriage or union....
breeders. The level of monogamy varies within the family, many of the smaller ducks only maintain the bond for a single season and find a new partner the following year, whereas the larger swans, geese and some of the more territorial ducks maintain pair bonds over a number of years. Anatidae are remarkable for being one of the few families of birds that possess a penis

Penis

The penis is an external sex organ of certain biologically male organisms, in both vertebrates and invertebrates.The penis is a reproductive organ, technically an intromittent organ, and for Eutheria, additionally serves as the external organ of urination....
; most species are adapted for copulation on the water only. They construct simple nests from whatever material is close to hand, often lining them with a layer of down plucked from the mother's breast. In most species, only the female incubates

Avian incubation

Incubation is the process by which birds hatch their Egg , and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period....
the eggs. The young are precocial

Precocial

In Biology, the term precocial refers to species in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. The opposite developmental strategy is called "altricial", where the young are born helpless....
, and are able to feed themselves from birth. One aberrant species, the Black-headed Duck

Black-headed Duck

The Black-headed Duck is a South American duck allied to the stiff-tailed ducks in the subfamily Oxyurinae of the family Anatidae. It is the only member of the genus Heteronetta....
, is an obligate brood parasite

Brood parasite

Brood parasites are organisms that use the strategy of brood-parasitism, a kind of kleptoparasitism found among birds, fish or insects, involving the manipulation and use of host individuals either of the same or different species to raise the young of the brood-parasite....
, laying its eggs in the nests of gull

Gull

Gulls are Aves in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, and skimmers, and more distantly to the waders....
s and coot

Coot

Coots , are medium-sized water birds which are members of the rail family Rallidae. They constitute the genus Fulica. Coots have predominantly black Feather, and, unlike many of the rails, they are usually easy to see, often swimming in open water....
s. While this species never raises its own young, a number of other ducks will occasionally lay eggs in the nests of conspecifics (members of the same species) in addition to raising their own broods.

Relationship with humans

Duck, eider, and goose feathers and down have long been popular for bedspreads, pillows, sleeping bags and coats. The members of this family also have long been used for food.

Humans have had a long relationship with ducks, geese and swans; they are important economically and culturally to humans, and several duck species have benefited from an association with people. On the flip side some anatids are damaging agricultural

Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
pests, and have acted as vectors for zoonosis

Zoonosis

A zoonosis or zoonose is any infectious disease that is able to be transmitted from other animals, both wild and domestic, to humans or from humans to animals ....
such as avian influenza.

Since 1600 five species of duck have become extinct due to the activities of humans, and subfossil remains have shown that humans caused numerous extinctions in prehistory. Today many more are considered threatened. Most of the historic and prehistoric extinctions were insular species, these species were vulnerable due to small populations (often endemic to a single island), and island tameness

Island tameness

Island tameness is the tendency of many populations and species of animals living on isolated islands to lose their wariness of potential predation, particularly of large animals....
. Evolving on islands that lacked predators these species lost anti-predator behaviours as well as the ability to fly

Bird flight

Flight is the main mode of animal locomotion used by most of the world's bird species. Flight assists birds while feeding, breeding and avoiding predation....
, and were vulnerable to human hunting pressure and introduced species

Introduced species

A species is defined as introduced in a certain geographical area, if that area is outside the species' indigenous distributional range, and the species has arrived there by human activity....
. Other extinctions and declines are attributable to overhunting, habitat loss and modification, as well as hybridisation with introduced ducks (for example the introduced Ruddy Duck

Ruddy Duck

The Ruddy Duck is a small stiff-tailed duck.Adult males have a rust-red body, a blue bill, and a white face with a black cap. Adult females have a grey-brown body with a greyish face with a darker bill, cap and a cheek stripe....
swamping the White-headed Duck

White-headed Duck

The White-headed Duck is a small stiff-tailed duck.Adult males have a grey and reddish body, a blue bill and a largely white head with a black cap and neck....
in Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
). Numerous governments, conservation and hunting organisations have made considerable progress in protecting ducks and duck populations through habitat protection and creation, laws and protection, and captive breeding programmes.

Systematics

While the status of the Anatidae as a family is straightforward, and there is little debate about which species properly belong to it, the relationships of the different tribes and subfamilies within it are poorly understood. The listing in the box at right should be regarded as simply one of several possible ways of organising the many species within the Anatidae; see discussion in the next section.

The systematics of the Anatinae is in a state of flux. Previously divided into six subfamilies, a study of anatomical characters by Livezey suggest that the Anatidae are better treated in nine subfamilies. This classification was popular in the late 1980s to 1990s. But mtDNA sequence

DNA sequence

A DNA sequence or genetic sequence is a succession of letters representing the primary structure of a real or hypothetical DNA molecule or strand, with the capacity to carry information as described by the central dogma of molecular biology....
analyses indicate that for example the dabbling and diving ducks do not belong in the same subfamily. While there are certainly shortcomings in Livezey's analysis, mtDNA is an unreliable source for phylogenetic information in many waterfowl (especially dabbling ducks) due to their ability to produce fertile hybrids, in rare cases possibly even beyond the level of genus

Genus

Muscovy Duck

The Muscovy Duck is a large duck which is native to Mexico, Central America and South America. A small wild population reaches into the US in the lower Rio Grande River basin in Texas....
"). Due to the small sample size

Sample size

The sample size of a statistical sample is the number of observations that constitute it. It is typically denoted n, a positive integer ....
of many molecular studies available to date, mtDNA results must be considered with caution.

But while a comprehensive review of the Anatidae which unites all evidence into a robust phylogeny is still lacking, the reasons for the confusing data are at least clear: As demonstrated by the Late Cretaceous

Late Cretaceous

Late Cretaceous refers to the second half of the Cretaceous Period , named after the famous white chalk cliffs of southern England, which date from this time....
fossil

Fossil

Fossils are the preserved remains or trace fossil of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. The totality of fossils, both discovered and undiscovered, and their placement in fossiliferous Rock formations and sedimentary rock layers is known as the fossil record....
Vegavis iaai — an early modern waterbird which belonged to an extinct lineage — the Anatidae are an ancient group among the modern birds. Their earliest direct ancestors, though not documented by fossils yet, likewise can be assumed to have been contemporaries with the dinosaur

Dinosaur

Dinosaurs were the dominant vertebrate animals of Landform ecosystems for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic Period until the end of the Cretaceous Period , when most of them became extinct in the Cretaceous?Tertiary extinction event....
s. The long period of evolution

Evolution

In biology, evolution is change in the heritability trait of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. These changes are caused by a combination of three main processes: variation, reproduction, and selection....
and shifts from one kind of waterbird lifestyle to another have obscured many plesiomorphies, while apomorphies apparently are quite often the result of parallel evolution

Parallel evolution

Parallel evolution is the independent evolution of similar traits, starting from a similar ancestral condition due to similar environments or other evolutionary pressures....
, for example the "non-diving duck" type displayed by such unrelated genera as Dendrocygna, Amazonetta, and Cairina
Cairina

Cairina is a genus of ducks in the bird family Anatidae.It has two species, which are similar anatomy but quite distinct in external morphology :...
. For the fossil record, see below.

Alternatively, the Anatidae may be considered to consist of 3 subfamilies (ducks, geese, and swans, essentially) which contain the groups as presented here as tribe

Tribe (biology)

In biology, a tribe — or infrafamily — is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes....
s, with the swans separated as subfamily Cygninae, the goose subfamily Anserinae also containing the whistling ducks, and the Anatinae containing all other clades.

Genera

Subfamily: Dendrocygninae (One pantropical genus, of distinctive long-legged goose-like birds)

Dendrocygna, whistling ducks (9 living species)

Subfamily: Thalassorninae (One genus in Africa, most closely related to the subfamily Dendrocygninae, though also showing convergent similarities to the subfamily Oxyurinae)

Thalassornis, White-backed Duck
White-backed Duck

The White-backed Duck 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....

Subfamily: Anserinae
Anserinae

The Anserinae is a subfamily in the waterfowl family Anatidae. It includes the swans and true Goose. Under alternative systematics concepts , it is split into two subfamilies, the Anserinae containing the geese , while the Cygninae contain the swans....
, swans and geese (Three to seven extant genera with 25-30 living species, mainly cool temperate Northern Hemisphere but also some Southern Hemisphere species, with the swan
Swan

Swans are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes goose and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini....
s in one genus [two genera in some treatments], and the geese
Goose

Goose is the English-language name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
in three genera [two genera in some treatments]. Some other species are sometimes placed herein, but seem somewhat more distinct [see below])

Cygnus, true swans (7 species, 4 sometimes separated in Olor)
Anser
Anser (genus)

The waterfowl genus Anser includes all grey geese and usually the white geese too. It belongs to the true goose and swan subfamily ....
, grey geese (7 species)
Chen
Chen (genus)

The white geese are a small group of waterfowl which are united in the genus or subgenus Chen, in the true goose and swan subfamily Anserinae....
, white geese (3 species, sometimes included in Anser)
Branta
Branta

The black geese of the genus Branta are waterfowl belonging to the goose and swans subfamily Anserinae. They occur in the northern coastal regions of the Palearctic and all over North America, bird migration to more southernly coasts in winter, and as resident birds in the Hawaiian Islands....
, black geese (8 living species)

Subfamily: Stictonettinae (One genus in Australia, formerly included in the Oxyurinae, but with anatomy suggesting a distinct ancient lineage perhaps closest to the Anserinae, especially the Cape Barren Goose
Cape Barren Goose

The Cape Barren Goose, Cereopsis novaehollandiaeis a large goose resident in southern Australia.These are bulky geese and their almost uniformly grey plumage, bearing rounded black spots, is unique....
)

Stictonetta, Freckled Duck
Freckled Duck

The Freckled Duck is a moderately large, broad-bodied duck native to southern Australia. The duck is protected by law. Dark in colour with fine off-white speckles all over, it is most easily identified by its large head with a peaked crown....

Subfamily: Plectropterinae (One genus in Africa, formerly included in the "perching ducks", but closer to the Tadorninae)

Plectropterus, Spur-winged Goose
Spur-winged Goose

The Spur-winged Goose, , is a large bird in the family Anatidae, related to the Goose and the Tadorninae, but distinct from both of these in a number of anatomical features, and therefore treated in its own subfamily, the Plectropterinae....

Subfamily: Tadorninae
Tadorninae

The Tadorninae is the shelduck-sheldgoose subfamily of the Anatidae, the biological family that includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl such as the goose and swans....
- shelducks and sheldgeese(This group of larger, often semi-terrestrial waterfowl can be seen as intermediate between Anserinae and Anatinae. The 1986 revision has resulted in the inclusion of 10 extant genera with about two dozen living species [one probably extinct] in this subfamily, mostly from the Southern Hemisphere but a few in the Northern Hemisphere, but the affiliations of several presumed tadornine genera has later been questioned and the group in the traditional lineup is likely to be paraphyletic)

Pachyanas, Chatham Island Duck (prehistoric
Late Quaternary prehistoric birds

Prehistoric birds are various taxon of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by ornithologys....
)
Tadorna, shelducks (7 species, one probably extinct) - possibly paraphletic
Salvadorina, Salvadori's Teal
Centrornis, Madagascar Sheldgoose (prehistoric
Late Quaternary prehistoric birds

Prehistoric birds are various taxon of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by ornithologys....
, tentatively placed here)
Alopochen, Egyptian Goose and Mascarene Shelducks (1 living species, 2 extinct)
Neochen, Orinoco Goose
Chloephaga, sheldgeese (5 species)
Hymenolaimus, Blue Duck
Merganetta, Torrent Duck

Subfamily: Anatinae
Anatinae

The Anatinae is a subfamily of the family Anatidae . Its surviving members are the dabbling ducks, which feed mainly at the surface rather than by diving....
, dabbling ducks and moa-nalos (The dabbling duck group, of worldwide distribution, were previously restricted to just one or two genera, but had been extended to include 8 extant genera and about 55 living species, including several genera formerly known as the "perching ducks"; mtDNA on the other hand confirms that the genus Anas is over-lumped and casts doubt on the diving duck affiliations of several genera [see below]. The moa-nalo
Moa-nalo

Moa-nalo are a group of extinct aberrant, goose-like ducks that formerly lived on the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific. They were the major herbivores on most of these islands for the last 3 million years or so, until they became extinct after human settlement....
s, of which 4 species in 3 genera are known to date, are a peculiar group of flightless, extinct Anatidae from the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of 19 islands and atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll....
. Gigantic in size and with massive bills, they were believed to be geese, but have been shown to be actually very closely related to mallard
Mallard

The Mallard , probably the best-known and most recognizable of all ducks, is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and sub-tropical areas of North America, Europe, Asia, New Zealand , and Australia....
. They evolved filling the ecological niche
Ecological niche

In ecology, a niche is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in its ecosystem to each other; e.g. a dolphin will be in another ecological niche to one that travels in a different school.....
of turtles, ungulates and other megaherbivores.)

Anas
Anas

Anas is a genus of dabbling ducks. It includes mallards, wigeons, teals, pintails and shovelers in a number of subgenus. Some authorities prefer to elevate the subgenera to genus rank....
: wigeons, gadwalls, teals, pintails, mallards, shovelers, etc (40-50 living species, 3 extinct) - paraphyletic
Lophonetta, Crested Duck
Speculanas, Bronze-winged Duck
Amazonetta, Brazilian Duck
Chelychelynechen, Turtle-jawed Moa-nalo (prehistoric
Late Quaternary prehistoric birds

Prehistoric birds are various taxon of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by ornithologys....
)
Thambetochen, Large-billed Moa-nalos (2 species, prehistoric
Late Quaternary prehistoric birds

Prehistoric birds are various taxon of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by ornithologys....
)
Ptaiochen, Small-billed Moa-nalo (prehistoric
Late Quaternary prehistoric birds

Prehistoric birds are various taxon of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by ornithologys....
)

Subfamily: Aythyinae, diving ducks (Some 15 species of diving duck
Diving duck

The 15 or so living species of diving duck, commonly called pochards or scaups, are part of the diverse and very large duck, goose, and swan family, Anatidae....
s, of worldwide distribution, in 2-4 genera; The 1986 morphological analysis suggested that the probably extinct Pink-headed Duck
Pink-headed Duck

The Pink-headed Duck is a large diving duck. It has been suggested that the species is closely related to the Red-crested Pochard, Netta rufina and that it should be placed in the same genus, but this has not been accepted by others....
of India, previously treated separately in Rhodonessa, should be placed in Netta, but this has been questioned. Furthermore, while morphologically close to dabbling ducks, the mtDNA data indicates that a treatment as distinct subfamily is indeed correct, with the Tadorninae being actually closer to dabbling ducks than the diving ducks are)

Netta
Netta

Netta is a genus of diving ducks. Unlike other diving ducks, the Netta species are reluctant to dive, and feed more like dabbling ducks....
, Red-crested Pochard and allies (4 species, one probably extinct)
Aythya
Aythya

Aythya is a genus of diving ducks....
, pochards, scaups, etc (12 species)

Subfamily: Merginae
Merginae

The seaducks, Merginae, form a subfamily of the duck, goose and swan family of birds, Anatidae.As the name implies, most but not all, are essentially marine outside the breeding season....
, eiders, scoters, sawbills and other sea-ducks (There are 9 extant genera and some 20 living species; most of this group occur in the Northern Hemisphere, but a few [mostly extinct] mergansers in the Southern Hemisphere)

Chendytes, Diving-geese (prehistoric
Late Quaternary prehistoric birds

Prehistoric birds are various taxon of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by ornithologys....
)
Polysticta, Steller's Eider
Somateria, eiders (3 species)
Histrionicus, Harlequin Duck (includes Ocyplonessa)
Camptorhynchus, Labrador Duck (extinct)
Melanitta, scoters (3 species)
Clangula, Long-tailed Duck (1 species)
Bucephala
Goldeneye (duck)

Goldeneye are small tree-hole nesting northern hemisphere seaducks belonging to the genus Bucephala. Their plumage is black and white, and they eat fish, crustaceans and other marine life....
, goldeneyes (3 species)
Mergellus, Smew
Lophodytes, Hooded Merganser
Mergus
Mergus

Mergus is the genus of the typical mergansers, fish-eating ducks in the seaduck subfamily . The Hooded Merganser, often termed Mergus cucullatus, is not of this genus but closely related....
, mergansers (5 living species, one extinct).

Subfamily: Oxyurinae
Oxyurinae

Oxyurinae is a subfamily of the duck, goose and swan family of birds, Anatidae. It has been subject of considerable debate about its validity and circumscription....
, stiff-tail ducks (A small group of 3-4 genera, 2-3 of them monotypic, with 7-8 living species)

Oxyura, stiff-tailed ducks (5 living species)
Nomonyx, Masked Duck
Biziura, Musk Ducks (1 living species, provisionally placed here)
Heteronetta, Black-headed Duck

Unresolved
The largest degree of uncertainty concerns whether a number of genera are closer to the shelducks or to the dabbling ducks. See also the monotypic
Monotypic

In biology, a monotype is a alpha taxonomy group with only one biological type:In botany, a monotype is a taxon that has only one species: Ginkgo is a monotypic genus, while Ginkgoaceae is a monotypic family ....
subfamilies above, and the "perching duck
Perching duck

The perching ducks were previously treated as a small group of ducks in the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae, grouped together on the basis of their readiness to perch high in trees....
s"

Coscoroba, Coscoroba Swan - Anserinae or same subfamily as Cereopsis?
Cereopsis, Cape Barren Goose - Anserinae, Tadorninae, or own subfamily?
Cnemiornis
Cnemiornis

The 'New Zealand Geese' formed the extinct genus Cnemiornis of the family Anatidae, subfamily Anserinae.The genus, endemic to New Zealand, consisted of two species: the North Island Goose, C....
, New Zealand geese (prehistoric
Late Quaternary prehistoric birds

Prehistoric birds are various taxon of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by ornithologys....
) - as Cereopsis
Malacorhynchus, Pink-eared ducks (1 living species) - Tadorninae, Oxyurinae or Dendrocheninae?
Sarkidiornis, Comb Duck - Tadorninae or closer to dabbling ducks?
Tachyeres
Tachyeres

Tachyeres is a genus of ducks in the bird family Anatidae. All of the four species occur in South America, and all except T. patachonicus are flightless; even this one species capable of flight rarely takes to the air....
, steamer ducks (4 species) - Tadorninae or closer to dabbling ducks?
Cyanochen, Blue-winged Goose - Tadorninae or more distant clade?
Nettapus, pygmy geese (3 species) - Anatinae or part of Southern Hemisphere radiation?
Pteronetta, Hartlaub's Duck - traditionally dabbling ducks, but may be closer to Cyanochen
Cairina
Cairina

Cairina is a genus of ducks in the bird family Anatidae.It has two species, which are similar anatomy but quite distinct in external morphology :...
, Muscovy Duck and White-winged Wood Duck (2 species) - traditionally dabbling ducks, but may be paraphyletic, with one species in Tadorninae and the other closer to diving ducks
Aix
Aix (genus)

Aix is a genus that contains just two species of ducks: the Wood Duck , and the Mandarin Duck .The genus belongs to the family Anatidae in the waterfowl order Anseriformes....
, Mandarin Duck and Wood Duck (2 species) - dabbling ducks or Tadorninae?
Callonetta, Ringed Teal - dabbling ducks or Tadorninae?
Chenonetta, Maned Duck (1 living species) - dabbling ducks or Tadorninae? Includes Euryanas.
Marmaronetta, Marbled Duck - Formerly dabbling ducks; actually a diving duck or a distinct subfamily

Species known from bones only

From subfossil

Subfossil

Subfossil refers to remains whose fossilization process is not complete, either for lack of time or because the condition in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization....
bones found on Kauai

Kauai

Kauai or Kauai is the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago and the List of islands of the United States by area....
(Hawaiian Islands

Hawaiian Islands

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of 19 islands and atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll....
), two enigmatic waterfowl are known. The living and assignable prehistoric avifauna of the archipelago

Archipelago

An archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands that are formed tectonically. The word archipelago literally means "chief sea", from Italian language arcipelago , derived ultimately from Greek language arkhon and pelagos ....
contains as Anseriformes Branta geese and their descendants, and the moa-nalo

Moa-nalo

Moa-nalo are a group of extinct aberrant, goose-like ducks that formerly lived on the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific. They were the major herbivores on most of these islands for the last 3 million years or so, until they became extinct after human settlement....
s as mentioned above. The following taxa, although certainly new species, cannot be assigned even to subfamily; that Kauai is the oldest of the large Hawaiian Islands, meaning the species may have been evolving in isolation for nearly up to 10 mya

Mya (unit)

In astronomy, geology, and paleontology, mya or "m.y.a." is an abbreviation for "million years ago". Like the related unit bya, mya is traditionally written in lower case....
(since the Late Miocene

Miocene

The Miocene is a Geologic time scale of the Neogene period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the start and end are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are uncertain....
), does not help in determining their affinities:

Long-legged "Shelduck", Anatidae sp. et gen. indet.
Small-eyed Duck, Anatidae sp. et gen. indet.

Similarly, Wetmore's Goose (Geochen rhuax) from the Big Island of Hawaii

Hawaii (island)

The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcano island in the U.S. Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean....
, and a gigantic goose-like anatid from Oahu

Oahu

'Oahu' or 'Oahu' , known as Gathering_place#Island_of_O.7B.7Bokina.7D.7Dahu_as_The_Gathering_Place, is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the State of Hawaii....
are known only from very incomplete and in the former case much damaged bone fragments. The former has been alleged to be a shelduck, but this was generally dismissed because of the damage to the material and biogeographic

Biogeography

Biogeography is the study of the distribution of biodiversity over space and time. It aims to reveal where organisms live, and at what abundance....
considerations. The long-legged Kauai bird, however, hints at the possibility of a former tadornine presence on the archipelago.

Fossil Anatidae

The fossil record of anatids is extensive, but many prehistoric genera cannot be unequivocally assigned to present-day subfamilies for the reasons given above. Some (such as Eonessa) seem to belong to subfamilies which are completely extinct. For prehistoric species of extant genera, see the respective genus accounts.

Eonessinae - extinct ancient anatids

Eonessa (Eocene of Utah, USA)

Dendrocheninae - a more advanced relative of the whistling-ducks or a more ancestral relative of stifftail ducks paralleling whistling-ducks; probably extinct but Malacorhynchus might belong here

Mionetta (Late Oligocene - Middle Miocene of C Europe) - includes "Anas" blanchardi, "A." consobrina, "A." natator, "Aythya" arvernensis
Manuherikia (Bathans Early/Middle Miocene of Otago, New Zealand)
Dendrochen (Early - Late? Miocene) - includes "Anas" integra, "A." oligocaena
Dendrocheninae gen. et sp. indet. (Late Miocene of Argentina) - dendrochenine?

Anserinae

The Anserinae is a subfamily in the waterfowl family Anatidae. It includes the swans and true Goose. Under alternative systematics concepts , it is split into two subfamilies, the Anserinae containing the geese , while the Cygninae contain the swans....

Cygnavus (Early Oligocene of Kazakhstan - Early Miocene of Germany)
Cygnopterus (Middle Oligocene of Belgium - Early Miocene of France) - sometimes included in Cygnavus
Megalodytes (Middle Miocene of California, USA)
"cf. Megalodytes" (Haraichi Middle Miocene of Annaka, Japan)
Anserobranta (Late Miocene of C Europe) - includes "Anas" robusta, validity doubtful
Presbychen (Temblor Late Miocene of Sharktooth Hill, USA)
Afrocygnus (Late Miocene - Early Pliocene of EC Africa)
Paracygnus (Kimball Late Pliocene of Nebraska, USA)
Eremochen (Pliocene)

Tadorninae

The Tadorninae is the shelduck-sheldgoose subfamily of the Anatidae, the biological family that includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl such as the goose and swans....

Miotadorna (Bathans Early/Middle Miocene of Otago, New Zealand)
Tadorninae gen. et sp. indet. (Calvert Middle Miocene of Maryland, USA)
Balcanas (Early Pliocene of Dorkovo, Bulgaria) - may be synonym of Tadorna or even Common Shelduck
Common Shelduck

The Common Shelduck is a widespread and common duck of the Genus shelduck. Fossil bones from Dorkovo described as Balcanas pliocaenica may actually belong to this species....
Anabernicula (Late Pliocene ?- Late Pleistocene of SW and W North America)
Brantadorna (Middle Pleistocene of Vallecito Creek, USA)
Nannonetta (Late Pleistocene of Peru)

Anatinae

The Anatinae is a subfamily of the family Anatidae . Its surviving members are the dabbling ducks, which feed mainly at the surface rather than by diving....

Sinanas (Middle Miocene)
Wasonaka (Middle Pliocene)

Oxyurinae

Oxyurinae is a subfamily of the duck, goose and swan family of birds, Anatidae. It has been subject of considerable debate about its validity and circumscription....

Tirarinetta (Pliocene of Australia)

incertae sedis
Incertae sedis

Incertae sedis , abbreviation "inc. sed.", is a term used to define a taxonomy group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined....

Guguschia (Oligocene of Azerbaijan) - Anserinae?
"Anas" luederitzensis (Kalahari Early Miocene of Lüderitzbucht, Namibia) - Anatinae?
Dunstanetta (Bathans Early/Middle Miocene of Otago, New Zealand)
Matanas (Bathans Early/Middle Miocene of Otago, New Zealand)
Anatidae gen. et sp. indet. MNZ S42797 (Bathans Early/Middle Miocene of Otago, New Zealand)
"Oxura" doksana (Early Miocene of Dolnice, Czechia)
"Aythya" chauvirae (Middle Miocene of Sansan, France and Credinta, Romania) - 2 species
Anatidae gen. et sp. indet. (Middle Miocene of Nördlinger Ries, Germany) - tadornine?
Anatidae gen. et sp. indet. (Sajóvölgyi Middle Miocene of Mátraszõlõs, Hungary
"Anas" meyerii (Middle Miocene of Öhningen, Germany)
"Anas" velox (Middle - Late? Miocene of C Europe) - Anatinae? May include "A." meyerii
"Anas" albae (Late Miocene of Polgárdi, Hungary) - formerly in Mergus, Merginae?
"Anas" isarensis (Late Miocene of Aumeister, Germany) - Anatinae?
?Anser scaldii (Late Miocene of Antwerp, Belgium) - anserine or tadornine
"Anas" eppelsheimensis (Early Pliocene of Eppelsheim, Germany) - Anatinae?
Aldabranas (Late Pleistocene of Aldabra, Indian Ocean) - Tadorninae or Anatinae
"Chenopis" nanus - at least 2 taxa, may be living species (Pleistocene of Australia)

Putative or disputed prehistoric anatids are:

Romainvillia (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene) - Anseranatidae or Anatidae (own subfamily)
Loxornis (Deseado Early Oligocene of Argentina)
Paracygnopterus (Early Oligocene of Belgium and England)
Limicorallus (Indricotherium Middle Oligocene of Chelkar-Teniz, Kazakhstan)
Teleornis (Deseado Early Oligocene of Argentina)
Chenornis (Early Miocene) - Anserinae or Phalacrocoracidae
Paranyroca (Rosebud Early Miocene of Bennett County, USA) - distinct Anatinae subfamily or own family
Eoneornis (Miocene of Argentina) - Anatinae? A nomen dubium
Nomen dubium

In ICZN, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Note that in the ICBN and ICNB the phrase "nomen dubium" has no status....
Eutelornis (Miocene of Argentina) - Anatinae?

Footnotes

External links

on the Internet Bird Collection
on the xeno-canto collection