GarganeySpatula querquedulaWo und wann du sie sehen kannst

The Garganey is a small dabbling duck whose male’s sweeping white eyebrow can be much easier to recognise than the more subdued female. RSPB places it between Teal and Mallard in size. The source uses the older scientific combination Anas querquedula; this profile retains the batch’s Spatula querquedula. Source: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/garganey/

Size

Species-specific body-length measurement not verified.

Weight

Species-specific weight not verified.

Lifespan

Species-specific lifespan not verified.

Status

Least Concern globally; BirdLife assessment 2025, with a decreasing trend. https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/garganey-spatula-querquedula

RSPB describes a secretive duck that feeds by dabbling. Watch a bird working quietly along a shallow margin, dipping its bill rather than assuming that every feeding duck will dive. Secretiveness makes a sheltered flock worth patient inspection, but should never be used as a reason to force birds into open water.

• The batch uses the genus Spatula.
• RSPB uses the older combination Anas querquedula.
• The male has a broad white eyebrow.
• The forewing can look pale blue in flight.
• It feeds by dabbling.
• BirdLife lists it globally as Least Concern.

BirdLife classifies Garganey as a full migrant, but a global migration category is not a local monthly calendar. The registered Nile evidence concerns a dated March 2007 trip. It cannot establish that March is consistently best, or that the species is absent in other months. Location months remain unfilled.

Within the Nile itinerary, sheltered shallows and vegetated margins are more relevant search areas than the centre of a busy navigation channel. That viewing advice does not establish presence at any particular temple landing. The registry’s evidence belongs to the Luxor–Aswan corridor and should not be extended to the delta.

The verified RSPB account specifically describes dipping the bill into the water to catch insects. A comprehensive diet, relative quantities of plant and animal food, and a Nile-specific prey inventory were not verified. The feeding method can nevertheless be observed without identifying every item swallowed.

Common name

Garganey

Scientific name

Spatula querquedula

Animal group

Birds

Size

Species-specific body-length measurement not verified.

Weight

Species-specific weight not verified.

Lifespan

Species-specific lifespan not verified.

Status

Least Concern globally; BirdLife assessment 2025, with a decreasing trend. https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/garganey-spatula-querquedula

Identification

The male’s broad white stripe over the eye is the strongest feature in the retrieved RSPB description. A pale blue forewing can be visible in flight, and the bird is smaller than a Mallard but slightly larger than a Teal. Female-specific criteria were not verified from the retrieved passage; do not apply the male’s head pattern to every individual.