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Small individuals of this species are the smallest waterfowl on earth, at as little as 160 g (5.6 oz) and 26 cm (10 in). The goose-like bill is short and deep at the base. Males have a dark brown forehead and crown and a blackish green broad collar at the base of the neck. The sides of the head and neck are whitish. The back, wing coverts and scapulars are dark brown with green and purple gloss. The female has a duller cap and a brown line through the eye. The collar is replaced by spots and the face is flecked and neck finely vermiculated unlike the male.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Cotton Pygmy Goose
One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is January, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Cotton Pygmy Goose
The map shades 25 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
Recorded as a rare visitor in Bahrain.
About the Cotton Pygmy Goose
The cotton pygmy goose or cotton teal is a small perching duck which breeds in Asia, Southeast Asia extending south and east to Queensland, Australia, where they are sometimes called white-quilled pygmy goose. They are among the smallest waterfowl in the world and are found in small to large waterbodies with good aquatic vegetation. They are usually seen in pairs or larger groups of pairs, roosting and nesting on trees near water. They are strong fliers and are known to disperse widely, especially in winter. Their breeding season coincides with the rains.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Green Pygmy GooseNettapus pulchellusRanging from 30 to 36 cm (12 to 14 in) in length, the green pygmy goose is one of the smallest species of duck.
Side by side: Cotton Pygmy Goose vs Crested Duck · Cotton Pygmy Goose vs Green Pygmy Goose · African Pygmy Goose vs Cotton Pygmy Goose
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