Maccoa Duck

Oxyura maccoa (Eyton, 1838)

Anatidae — Ducks, Geese, Swans

Maccoa Duck, Oxyura maccoa, breeds in Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa and belongs to the Anatidae family in the order Anseriformes. It is a stiff-tailed diving duck of eastern and southern Africa, tied to inland waters and wetlands. During breeding, it uses open freshwater beside emergent vegetation, especially Typha stands, where it hides its nest in reed clumps. Outside the breeding season it occurs on fresh to brackish nutrient-rich waters, including lakes, ponds, flooded pans, dams, river mouths and sewage ponds. It is a sedentary species that shifts between wetlands rather than migrating.

Order
Anseriformes
Family
Anatidae — Ducks, Geese, Swans
Breeding range
Africa: Ethiopia to South Africa
Maccoa Duck
© Monkey Boy · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Tours where you can spot this bird

13 tours in Kenya 4, South Africa 4, Namibia 3, Tanzania 2

Avis Dam Birding Walk in Windhoek
Avis Dam Birding Walk in Windhoek
Namibia / Windhoek Private tour 1 day

Walk the grassland, thorn scrub, rocky slopes and wetland edges of Avis Dam with a local guide, searching for Rockrunner and varied Windhoek...

From USD 60
Private Half-Day Birding in Windhoek
Private Half-Day Birding in Windhoek
Namibia / Windhoek Private tour 1 day

Use five focused hours to search Windhoek’s bushveld, wetlands and rocky corners for Namibian specialties on a private route tailored to y...

From USD 80
Private Full-Day Birding in Windhoek
Private Full-Day Birding in Windhoek
Namibia / Windhoek Private tour 1 day

Spend a private full day birding across Windhoek’s wetlands, thornveld and rocky hills, with a flexible route shaped around target species...

From USD 110
6 Days Kenya Budget Birding
6 Days Kenya Budget Birding
Kenya / Nairobi Group tour 6 days

A six-day private budget birding circuit linking Nairobi National Park, Manguo, Gatamaiyu, Lake Elementeita and two days around Lake Baringo...

Manguo Swamp
Manguo Swamp
Kenya / Nairobi Group tour 1 day

A relaxed birding morning at seasonal Manguo Swamp near Nairobi, looking for Maccoa Duck, cranes and resident or migrant freshwater birds....

Tailor-Made Kenya Birding with Adarsh Nagda
Tailor-Made Kenya Birding with Adarsh Nagda
Kenya / Nairobi Private tour

Private, tailor-made birding guidance from Nairobi and across Kenya with birder, conservationist and photographer Adarsh Nagda....

10-Day Tanzania Birding Safari with Wings Explorers Tours
10-Day Tanzania Birding Safari with Wings Explorers Tours
Tanzania / Arusha Private tour 10 days

A high-density 10-day birding program through the Arusha foothills, Maasai Steppe, Tarangire, Ngorongoro and the central Serengeti, combinin...

Tanzania Birds and Wildbeasts with Johnnie Uganda Safaris
Tanzania Birds and Wildbeasts with Johnnie Uganda Safaris
Tanzania / Arusha Group tour 9 days

9-day Tanzania birding and wildlife itinerary with Johnnie Uganda Safaris....

Kenya Big Game and Birds Exploration with Johnnie Uganda Safaris
Kenya Big Game and Birds Exploration with Johnnie Uganda Safaris
Kenya / Nairobi Group tour 13 days

12-day Kenya birding and wildlife itinerary with Johnnie Uganda Safaris....

3-Day Cape Town Birding Tour
3-Day Cape Town Birding Tour
South Africa / Cape Town Private tour 3 days

Spend three days linking Cape Town fynbos, False Bay, endemic-rich mountain slopes, penguin coast and the Cape Peninsula....

10-Day Western Cape Birding Tour
10-Day Western Cape Birding Tour
South Africa / Cape Town Private tour 10 days

A private or small-group Western Cape birding itinerary from Cape Town through the Cape Peninsula, West Coast, Tankwa Karoo, Agulhas Plain, ...

Private Cape Mountains and Fynbos Birding Day Tour with Birding Ecotours
Private Cape Mountains and Fynbos Birding Day Tour with Birding Ecotours
South Africa / Cape Town Private tour 1 day

A private full-day route from Cape Town to Rooi Els, Betty's Bay and the fynbos coast, focused on Cape endemics, African Penguins and wetlan...

From ZAR 7,000
Private 3-Day Agulhas Plains Birding Trip with Birding Ecotours
Private 3-Day Agulhas Plains Birding Trip with Birding Ecotours
South Africa / Cape Town Private tour 3 days

A private three-day journey from Cape Town across mountain fynbos and the Overberg to De Hoop, built around cranes, bustards, larks and regi...

From ZAR 17,920