 South American Comb Ducks. Usually silent except when annoyed or displaying,
drakes hiss or emit faint wheezy or croaking whistles that have been described
as similar to the creaking of an un-oiled wagon wheel.
Females call out with weak clucking quacks, grunts and soft whining sounds,
or loud sharp squeals when alarmed.
They can be especially vocal early in the breeding season, when the utterances of
excited females are more melodious.
 The Comb Duck scientific name originates from the Greek, and loosely translates to a
black-backed bird with a fleshy knob.
Juveniles resemble females, but are browner with more heavily speckled heads and necks.
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Grazing in waterside grasslands or wading and swimming in shallow water,
the ducks feed on aquatic vegetation,
grass seeds, invertebrates (primarily locusts and aquatic insect larvae)
and the occasional small fish.
In some regions, the birds are viewed as rice crop pests.
The variable African reproductive season occurs during and following
the summer rainy season,
usually from December to March in the south. In years of little or no rain,
nesting may not take place at all.
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