Wildlife Series Duck December 31, 1992

MALLARD (Anas platyrhynchos)
The largest and typical surface feeding or dabbling duck. The male largely grey above and below, in breeding season finely pencilled and vermiculated with black, glistening metallic dark green head and neck separated from chestnut breast by narrow white collar. Rump, tail-coverts and two up-curled central tail feathers black. Metallic purplish blue mirror on wing bordered in front and behind by black and white lines conspicuous in flight, yellowish green bill, orange legs. Female brown and buff streaked and spotted with black, an irregular dark line through the eye. Breeds in small number in Kashmir, mainly winter visitor in lower Sindh.
Nests on a pad of weeds thickly lined with down under a bush or grass clump near edge of the lake lays 6-1 0 greenish grey to yellowish stone eggs.
Frequents shallow reedy jheels and marshes, rarely in ponds, rivers chiefly vegetarian feeds on corms, seeds and shoots of equatic plants.
GREY-LAG GOOSE (Anser anser)
A common winter visitor and believed to be the ancestor of all our domestic breeds. Plain ashy head and pale fore-wing, remainder of plumage grayish except white upper-tail covers ad dark tail bar. Bill, legs and claws pink.
One of the largest grey geese with heavy flight and gait, best distinguished by its pale grey fore wing, orange bill and pink legs. Breeds in lowland, moors and marshes, highly gregarious, congregates in considerable flocks on jheels where-ever abundance of food, comparative freedom from molestation and extensive cultivation of winter crops in the surrounding supply the essential requirements.
Associate in large groups, spend daytime squatting belly to ground or resting on one leg on mud spits in the jheels and rivers. Almost exclusively vegetarian.
GADWAL (Anas strepera)
Male generally dark brown 4~i grey with whitish belly and very black tail end. A glistening white patch on trailing edge of wing, broadly bordered in front with lack, conspicuous in flight. At rest a chestnut patch in front of this black and white speculum is a good pointer.
Female dark brown mottled with buff, also with yellow legs. Diagnosed in flight by white wing mirror as in males but at rest this usually concealed. Flocks usually found on shallow, reedy jheels and marshes. Winter visitor and perhaps our commonest and locally abundant migratory wildfowl found in association with other ducks on suitable water. It is a mixed surface feeder, gregarious and largely vegetarian and a very silent bird in it winter quarters sometimes also dives for food and can do so very effectively when wounded or evading capture.
Winter visitor, breeds in northern Europe and Asia.
COMMON SHELDUCK (Tadorna tadorna)
A handsome, strinkingly coloured duck, chiefly white, black and chestnut with a distinctive bright red upturned bill and pink legs. Adult males have greenish black glistening neck and head. Rest of the upper parts white with two broad black bands along either side. Bright green wing speculum bordered above by a chestnut patch. Below white, a broad chestnut hoop or girdle round breast and shoulders. A broad black band from breast to vent and conspicuous red knob above base of bill. Female considerably smaller and duller in colour with chestnut breast feathers edged with black vermiculations.
It is casual and uncommon winter visitor on open lakes and large rivers, winters from southern part of its breeding range to North Africa, Arabia, India, South China and Japan. Normally gregarious and occurs in small parties. Feeds on mollusks, crustaceans insects and worms, also algae, seeds, leaves and tubers of aquatic plants.
(Contributed by: Sindh Wildlife Management Board)
To focus world attention on the need to protect and preserve this vulnerable wildlife species of Pakistan Postal Services Corporation is issuing a set of four special postage stamps of Rs. 5/- value each depicting different species of Ducks on December 31,1992. It is part of the series on wildlife stamps being issued by Pakistan Postal Services Corporation since 1975.