- Pteronetta hartlaubii
Identification
Hartlaub's Duck (Pteronetta hartlaubii) is a dark rich chestnut duck of African forests. Formerly included in the paraphyletic "perching duck" assemblage, it was moved to the dabbling ducks later[citation needed]. However, it is fairly distinct from the usual dabbling ducks, being placed in the monotypic genus Pteronetta to reflect this.
Distribution
Hartlaub's Duck is resident in equatorial West and Central Africa, from Guinea and Sierra Leone east through Nigeria to Sudan, and south to Gabon, Congo and Zaire.
Taxonomy
Analysis of mtDNA sequences of the cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 genes (Johnson & Sorenson, 1999) suggests that it belongs into a very distinct clade - possibly a subfamily of their own - together with the Blue-winged Goose, another African species of waterfowl with uncertain affinities. Remarkably, the upper wing plumage pattern - perhaps the one reliable morphological marker for relationships in the ducks and their close relatives - is not only nearly alike in both species, but unique among all living waterfowl (Madge & Burn, 1987).