BBC Wildlife Magazine

DUCKING AND DIVING

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At first glance a goosander doesn’t look like it has much in common with the ‘tufties’ and other diving ducks on a winter lake or reservoir. But this species is indeed a true duck – part of the sawbill family, whose serrated beaks are edged with back-facing teeth to grip fish. Males ( pictured) sport bottle-green heads; females have tousled russet heads and are nicknamed ‘redheads’. Goosanders breed on upland rivers in Wales, Devon, northern England and Scotland, then move downstream, spreading throughout the lowland UK. TOP TIP Learn to identify sawbills with a BTO video: www.bto.org/ about-birds/bird-id

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