Garganey

Name: Garganey

Scientific name: Anas querquedula

Category: Birds

Nature Stars: 80

What are nature stars?

About: A very pretty little dabbling duck, only very slightly larger than the Teal, the Garganey is usually seen in ones and twos, never in the large flocks of other ducks. They arrive in mid to late March, nesting in very small numbers on good quality marshes a

How to identify: A small duck, the male has a chocolate brown head with a white eyestripe and a pale blue patch on the fore-wing.

Where: A fairly rare summer visitor, mainly to south east England where it nests in marshy wetlands.

Natural Superpowers

• Predator: 30
• Agility: 30
• Rarity: 70
• Cute factor: 40
• Traveller: 80

Fantastic fact: Whereas most ducks come here for the winter, the Garganey is a summer visitor to this country.

Photograph credit: Dave Appleton