Description:

A compact large-headed, dark rufous-brown duck with swollen-based, dished bill and long tail. Breeding male has white head with black cap, and bright blue bill. Eclipse male has duller, less rufous body, grey bill, and black of cap more extensive and less clearly defined. Female and juvenile have grey bill, and striped head pattern.

Distribution:

Vagrant through the major waterways and lakes all across Gilgit-Baltistan. Landing in the region during cloudy/harsh weather, at lakes, marshes, rivers and streams with fringe vegetation up to 3500m, avoiding turbulent waters.

Behavior:

Feeds mostly by diving and mainly at night, especially in winter, when spends most of daytime roosting in tight single-species flocks, then dispersing to feed; sometimes dabbles on surface. Chiefly feeds on seeds, leaves and other green parts of aquatic plants; also aquatic invertebrates (insects and their larvae, molluscs, crustaceans).

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of White-headed Duck in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of White-headed Duck

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.