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37-549: Anas caryophyllacea Fuligula caryophyllacea Netta caryophyllacea Callichen caryophyllaceum The pink-headed duck ( Rhodonessa caryophyllacea ) is a large diving duck that was once found in parts of the Gangetic plains of India, Nepal , parts of Maharashtra, Bangladesh and in the riverine swamps of Myanmar but has been feared extinct since the 1950s. Numerous searches have failed to provide any proof of continued existence. It has been suggested that it may exist in

74-501: A distinct tribe in the subfamily Anatinae , the Aythyini . While morphologically close to the dabbling ducks , there are nonetheless some pronounced differences such as in the structure of the trachea . mtDNA cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 sequence data indicate that the dabbling and diving ducks are fairly distant from each other, the outward similarities being due to convergent evolution . Alternatively,

111-624: A personal Persian seal impressed. On the collections made by his wife, the name of the birds was inscribed in Persian and sometimes English along with the name of the artist and date. About 120 drawings were noted as being "in the collection of Lady Impey" of which a 100 are of birds. The collection was dispersed in an auction in 1810. Some of the paintings were presented to the Linnean Society of London in 1856 by daughter-in-law Sarah Impey and consisted of 47 birds, 8 mammals and 8 plants. One

148-405: A pink-headed duck was sighted in 1998, associating with a flock of gadwall and pintail . Another, more dubious report stated that shortly after a failed expedition in the area by Birdlife International ended, a local hunter caught a live male and a female or juvenile pink-headed duck, and contacted Myanmar's Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association to sell it to them for a fee. The offer

185-744: A pochard. Allan Octavian Hume and Stuart Baker noted that the stronghold of the species was north of the Ganges and west of the Brahmaputra, mainly in Maldah, Purnea, Madhubani and Purulia districts of present-day Bihar. It was said to be commoner in Singhbum. Hume collected a specimen in Manipur which he noted was very rare, hiding among dense reeds in Loktak Lake . Edward Blyth claimed that it

222-457: A thirty-six-year-old barrister, Elijah Impey, and over the next five years, bore him four children. Elijah Impey had two other children from an earlier relationship and Mary acknowledged the illegitimate children. The family lived on Essex Street off the strand until 1773. In 1773, Elijah Impey was knighted and made chief justice of Fort William in Bengal and the couple moved to India, leaving

259-574: Is a very distinct one however. Although the group is cosmopolitan , most members are native to the Northern Hemisphere , and it includes several of the most familiar Northern Hemisphere ducks. This group of ducks is so named because its members feed mainly by diving, although in fact the Netta species are reluctant to dive, and feed more like dabbling ducks. These are gregarious ducks, mainly found on fresh water or on estuaries , though

296-509: Is lowland marshes and pools in tall-grass jungle. The nest is built amongst grass. The eggs, six or seven in a clutch, are very spherical and creamy white. The eggs measure 1.71 to 1.82 inches long and 1.61 to 1.7 inches wide. They were believed to have been non-migratory and found singly or in pairs and very rarely in small groups. Pink-headed ducks are believed to have eaten water plants and molluscs. Like Netta species, they typically up-ended or dabbled for food and did not dive like

333-672: Is sufficient reason to believe that pink-headed ducks may still exist in Northern Myanmar's Kachin State , but a thorough survey of the Nat Kaung river between Kamaing and Shadusup in October 2005 failed to find this species; a number of interesting ducks were observed, but they turned out to be Indian spot-billed ducks or white-winged ducks . Suggestions have been made that it may be nocturnal. In 2017, an expedition to find

370-586: The Impey Album , is an important example of Company style painting. The three artists who are known were Sheikh Zain al-Din , Bhawani Das, and Ram Das. The three known artists were from Patna where they may formerly have served under Nawab Kasim Ali . The accuracy of the paintings suggest that Lady Impey was involved in guiding the artists. More than half of the over 300 paintings made were of birds. Sir Elijah too collected manuscripts and paintings, particularly from Murshidabad and on these collections he had

407-542: The 13th Earl of Derby . The genus Rhodonessa was originally created for this species alone. Jean Delacour and Ernst Mayr , in their 1945 revision of the family Anatidae considered it a somewhat abnormal member of the Anatini (or river-ducks) group because the hind toe is slightly lobed, display behaviour and the tendency to feed at the surface. The birds were observed in European aviaries and although they never bred,

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444-511: The Brahmaputra . The pair started their quest for the bird at Saikhoa ghat on the north-eastern end of the river on the Indian side of the border. After 29 days of sailing, Nugent said that he saw the pink-headed duck amidst a flock of other waterbirds. However, Nugent and Barua's claimed sighting has not been widely accepted. Reports of pink-headed ducks after the 1960s have been received from

481-730: The dabbling ducks ; their legs tend to be placed further back on their bodies to help propel them when underwater. Three genera are included in the Aythyini. The marbled duck which makes up the monotypic genus Marmaronetta , however, seems very distinct and might have diverged prior to the split of dabbling and diving ducks as indicated by morphological and molecular characteristics. The probably extinct pink-headed duck , previously treated separately in Rhodonessa , has been suggested to belong into Netta , but this approach has been questioned. DNA sequence analyses have found it to be

518-418: The greater scaup becomes marine during the northern winter. They are strong fliers; their broad, blunt-tipped wings require faster wing-beats than those of many ducks and they take off with some difficulty. Northern species tend to be migratory ; southern species do not migrate though the hardhead travels long distances on an irregular basis in response to rainfall. Diving ducks do not walk as well on land as

555-514: The Oudh region some from very close to Lucknow. Specimens were shot at Najafgarh lake in the Delhi district. Jerdon obtained specimens of the bird from further south although he did not personally observe any in the wild until he visited Bengal. The pink-headed duck was described by John Latham in 1790 under the genus Anas . In describing the species, it is possible that he made of use of a painting in

592-453: The available morphological and behavioural evidence, especially the structure of the humerus and the structure of tracheal rings, Sidney Dillon Ripley suggested that it was undoubtedly in the Aythyini. A study found that Rhodonessa was closely allied to the red-crested pochard ( Netta rufina ) suggesting that the two species be placed in the same genus. Rhodonessa was described prior to Netta which would then make Rhodonessa rufina

629-702: The children with their father's brother in Hammersmith. In 1775, having settled in Fort William, Impey started a collection of native birds and animals on the extensive gardens of the estate, off Burying Ground Road (now Park Street), which had formerly been that of Henry Vansittart , governor of Bengal from 1760 to 1764. Beginning in 1777, Impey and her husband hired local artists to paint birds, animals and native plants, life-sized where possible, and in natural surrounds. The paintings were made in double folios and number nearly 200. The collection, often known as

666-466: The collection of Lady Impey , wife of Sir Elijah Impey who was Chief Justice of court in Calcutta from 1774 to 1783. Mary Impey maintained a menagerie in Calcutta and commissioned Indian artists such as Bhawani Das from Patna to illustrate animals in the collection. The Impeys moved to England, and after the death of her husband, she sold these paintings at auction in 1810. Some of them were acquired by

703-541: The diving ducks are placed as a subfamily Aythyinae in the family Anatidae which would encompass all duck-like birds except the whistling-ducks . The seaducks commonly found in coastal areas, such as the long-tailed duck (formerly known in the U.S. as oldsquaw), scoters , goldeneyes , mergansers , bufflehead and eiders , are also sometimes colloquially referred to in North America as diving ducks because they also feed by diving; their subfamily (Merginae)

740-586: The earliest diverging member of the pochard group. The molecular analysis also suggests that the white-winged duck should be placed into a monotypic genus Asarcornis which is fairly close to Aythya and might belong into this subfamily. Mary Impey Born Mary Reade in Oxfordshire , she was the eldest of the three children of Sir John Reade, 5th Baronet, of Shipton Court, and his wife Harriet. On 18 January 1768, at Hammersmith parish church (Fulham North Side) then just outside London, she married

777-410: The female has a pale pinkish head and neck with a paler bill. The black of the body extends as a narrow strip on the front of the neck. Wings have a leading white edge. In flight it would not contrast as much as the syntopic white-winged duck. Wing does not have the dark trailing edge of the red-crested pochard . Confusion with male red-crested pochards stems mainly from observations of swimming birds, as

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814-422: The head combined with a dark body. A prominent wing patch and the long slender neck are features shared with the common Indian spot-billed duck . The eggs have also been held as particularly peculiar in being nearly spherical. The male pink-headed duck is unmistakable when a good view is had. Both sexes are 41–43 cm and long-billed with long necks and peaked heads. The male has a pink bill, head and neck while

851-404: The inaccessible swamp regions of northern Myanmar and some sight reports from that region have led to its status being declared as "Critically Endangered" rather than extinct. The genus placement has been disputed and while some have suggested that it is close to the red-crested pochard ( Netta rufina ), others have placed it in a separate genus of its own. It is unique in the pink colouration of

888-614: The largely unexplored Mali Hka and Chindwin Myit drainages in Northern Myanmar. While the area is not very well surveyed by scientists, searches have been inconclusive and confusion with the red-crested pochard and the Indian spot-billed duck has been a common source of supposed pink-headed duck sightings. A report on a survey in the Hu Kaung valley in November 2003 concluded that there

925-460: The last confirmed sighting, by C. M. Inglis , was from Bhagownie, Darbhangha District, in June 1935, with reports from India persisting until the early 1960s. These include reports from Monghyr and from near Shimla . Sidney Dillon Ripley considered it likely extinct in 1950. In 1988, Rory Nugent , an American birder, and Shankar Barua of Delhi , reported spotting the elusive bird on the banks of

962-485: The last known birds lived in captivity. The only known photographs of the species were taken here and include one of a pair taken around 1925 by David Seth-Smith . Diving duck See the text The diving ducks , commonly called pochards or scaups , are a category of duck which feed by diving beneath the surface of the water. They are part of Anatidae , the diverse and very large family that includes ducks, geese , and swans . The diving ducks are placed in

999-444: The latter species also has a conspicuous red head (although the color is actually very different from the pink-headed duck). Indian spot-billed ducks , on the other hand, can look similar to female pink-headed ducks when in flight and seen from a distance, and if seen from behind, they could be mistaken for males too. The upper side of the wing is distinguishing, with dark green secondaries (speculum) and prominent white tertiaries in

1036-495: The males displayed often and this involved puffing the neck feathers, lowering the neck to rest on the back and then stretching up the neck while producing a wheezy whistle like a mallard . A study of its tracheal anatomy by Alfred Henry Garrod in 1875 suggested that it had a "slight fusiform dilatation" in the anterior syringeal region. The "bulba ossea" at the lower part of the male syrinx is peculiar in being swollen. The colour pattern has also been considered unique, lacking any of

1073-764: The metallic colours on the secondaries that are characteristic of the Anatini. The other unique feature being the somewhat large and nearly spherical shape of the eggs. All of these features supporting the retention of the species in a separate genus. Such mid-tracheal swellings were found only in Mergini and Aythyini and is extremely rare in the genus Anas . This tracheal bulla is rounded in Anas but angular with fenestrae in Netta and Aythya . Johnsgard considered Marmaronetta and Rhodonessa as intermediate in form. Based on

1110-408: The name of choice, however these changes have not been widely accepted. The pink colour is derived from a carotenoid pigment which is unusual among ducks and known only from a few other species such as the pink-eared duck which are not closely related. This duck formerly occurred in eastern India , Nepal , Bangladesh and northern Myanmar , but is now probably extinct . It was always rare, and

1147-434: The species by Global Wildlife Conservation also failed, with evidence indicating that the biodiversity in the general area around Indawgyi Lake and its surrounding areas was heavily declining due to habitat degradation. Anecdotes from residents in the area, however, indicate that the bird may have lived in the area far more recently than the last confirmed report from 1910, possibly as recently as 2010. One resident stated that

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1184-419: The spot-billed duck and a pinkish-beige speculum, much lighter than its surroundings, in the pink-headed duck. If the upper part of the wings cannot be reliably seen, they are all but indistinguishable except to expert observers in good visibility conditions. Young birds had a nearly whitish head without a trace of pink and a mellow two note call wugh-ah has been attributed to the species. Its breeding habitat

1221-502: The wetland's center that may still hold pink-headed ducks, but these could only be accessed with a drone, which are banned in the region. The reason for its disappearance was probably habitat destruction. It is not known why it was always considered rare, but the rarity is believed to be genuine (and not an artefact of insufficient fieldwork) as its erstwhile habitat was frequently scoured by hunters in Colonial times. The pink-headed duck

1258-416: Was declined, and the hunter killed both ducks. Another hunter recalled that when the habitat was in good condition, pink-headed ducks were regulars in the area, possibly up to 2014. They were apparently most common during February, and he also could mimic their possible calls, though it is unknown whether these calls were truly by pink-headed ducks. The hunter also said that there were large, impassable ponds in

1295-521: Was found in the Rakhine state of Burma. Brian Houghton Hodgson obtained specimens from Nepal. A few records were also noted from Delhi, Sindh and Punjab. The populations (possibly) undertook local seasonal movements, resulting in scattered historic records as far as Punjab, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Thus, resulting in rare sightings of the species in Maharashtra. Birds were also reported from

1332-915: Was framed by Lord Rothschild and is in now in Tring. Many are untraced. Latham referred to at least 25 of the birds in Supplements I and II of his General Synopsis of Birds and does not refer to any of these paintings prior to 1785. Between 1775 and 1783, Impey bore four more children, three of whom survived to return with them to England in 1783 when her husband was impeached. They returned to England in June 1784. She bore one more child back in England. They lived on Grosvenor Street initially, moving to Wimpole Street and finally to Newick Park, near Lewes , East Sussex . In 1801-3 they lived in Paris. Her husband died in 1809 and she died in 1818 and both were buried in

1369-552: Was much sought after by hunters and later as an ornamental bird, mainly because of its unusual plumage. Like most diving ducks, it was not considered good eating, which should facilitate the survival of any remnant birds. The last specimen was obtained in 1935 in Darbhanga by C. M. Inglis . Some birds were also kept in the aviaries of Jean Théodore Delacour in Clères ( France ) and Alfred Ezra at Foxwarren Park ( England ) where

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