13 Types of DUCKS That Live in Serbia! (2025)
Do you want to learn about the types of ducks found in Serbia?
Well, you’ve come to the right place. As you will see, there are all kinds of colorful, beautiful, and odd-looking ducks here!
In this article, you will find descriptions, photos, and RANGE MAPS for each species. I’ve also included some fun facts about these incredible water birds. 🙂
13 types of ducks in Serbia!
#1. Mallard
- Anas platyrhynchos
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males have a bright green head, thin white collar, dark reddish-brown chest, yellow bill, and a black rump with a white-tipped tail.
- Females are mottled brown with orange and brown bills.
- Both sexes have purple-blue secondary feathers on their wings, most visible when standing or flying.
My guess is that almost everyone is familiar with the Mallard. These ducks are the most common species in Serbia!
Mallards are extremely comfortable around people, which is why these adaptable ducks are widespread. They are found in virtually any wetland habitat, regardless of location.
Mallards readily accept artificial structures built for them by humans. If you have a nice pond or a marsh, feel free to put up a homemade nesting area to enjoy some adorable ducklings walking around your property! Make sure you put up predator guards so predators can’t get to the eggs.
When you think of a duck quacking, it is almost inevitably a female Mallard. If there is a better duck sound, we haven’t heard it! Interestingly, males do not quack like females but, instead, make a raspy call.
#2. Common Merganser
- Mergus merganser
Identifying Characteristics:
- This fairly large duck has a long, slender orange bill with a black tip and dark eyes.
- Breeding males have a largely white body, a black back, and a mallard-like green head.
- Females and nonbreeding males sport cinnamon-colored heads and grayish-white bodies.
Due to their thin bill, Common Mergansers stand out fairly easily from most other ducks in Serbia. Their favorite food is fish, which they catch with the help of their serrated bill, but they also indulge in aquatic invertebrates such as crustaceans, mollusks, insects, and worms.
Common Mergansers are so good at fishing that many other ducks try to steal from them when they surface. It’s common to see flocks of seagulls following them, hoping to snatch an easy meal. Even Bald Eagles have been known to rob them of their hard-earned fish!
Naturally, these ducks nest in tree cavities that woodpeckers have carved out. Interestingly, newborn ducklings are only about a day old when they leap from the entrance to the ground, at which point the mother will lead them to water. Then, they hop into the water and immediately catch their own food. It’s a steep learning curve, but these ducklings are up for the challenge!
#3. Northern Shoveler
- Spatula clypeata
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males have reddish-brown flanks, green heads, a white chest, black backs, and yellow eyes.
- Females are brown, and sometimes you can see a bluish shoulder patch.
- Both sexes have distinctive bills, which are large and wide!
If you only glance at the green head, casual European observers might accidentally think these ducks are Mallards. But one look up close, and you should notice the ENORMOUS spoon-shaped bill, which is how Northern Shovelers got their name.
They use their large bill to shovel and sift through mud and sand to find tasty tidbits like crustaceans, mollusks, and buried aquatic insects. Interestingly, their bill has over 100 tiny projections on the edges called lamellae that help filter out the food they want to eat. An interesting behavior observed with Northern Shovelers is their ability to “team up” to find food. Flocks of them will sometimes swim in circles together to help stir up food!
Males make a guttural “took-took” sound during courtship, when alarmed, and in flight. Females make a nasally-sounding quack.
#4. Gadwall
- Mareca strepera
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males have an intricate pattern of gray, brown, and black feathers, which look like white-fringed “scales.” Brown head and dark grey or black bill. The back is covered with medium and dark brown feathers. Males have a dark bill.
- Females are mottled shades of brown with a dark orange-black bill. They look similar to female Mallards.
- Both sexes have a white patch (much smaller on females) on their wings, visible when flying.
Gadwalls are easy ducks to overlook in Serbia!
Unlike most other species, males don’t sport any patches of blue, green, or white plumage. Instead, look for their soft brown and gray plumage with intricate patterns. They spend most of their time in small ponds that have lots of vegetation.
Gadwalls have a funny habit of stealing food from diving ducks upon surfacing! This behavior is seen more often in the summer when animal matter can make up to 50% of their diet, whereas it drops to around 5% in winter. Submerged aquatic vegetation is their primary food source.
If you hear someone burping and you’re near water, then it may be a male Gadwall. Their short, reedy calls are often described as “burps.” Females make quacking noises and sound similar to Mallards, except their call is a bit more high-pitched.
#5. Northern Pintail
- Anas acuta
Identifying Characteristics:
- Slender ducks with long tails and necks and a pale black-gray bill.
- Males have cinnamon-brown heads, gray bodies, and white throats and breasts.
- Females have plain, tan heads and rufous-brown plumage on their bodies.
Northern Pintails have long neck that exaggerates their extremely pointy tail (hence the name) when in flight. Even when floating on water, their tails stick out further than their heads. Nonbreeding males and all females have shorter but still prominent pintails.
The best place to find these ducks in Serbia is in wetland habitats away from people. Wildlife refuges are the perfect places to start. Northern Pintails tend to stick to shallower areas near the edges of lakes and ponds. Interestingly, they are also proficient at walking on land, so you’ll find them cleaning farm fields of barley, wheat, rice, and corn leftovers.
Northern Pintails only migrate at night and are incredible flyers! During migration, they reach speeds up to 77 kph (48 mph), and the record for the longest non-stop flight is 2900 km (1,800 miles).
Males have a unique call that sounds like a train whistle. Females utter low-pitched quacking “kuk” notes.
#6. Greater Scaup
- Aythya marila
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males have yellow eyes, a green head, a dark chest, and a rump contrasting with the speckled gray back and white sides.
- Females have chocolatey-brown heads and warm brown bodies. Look for a bright white patch around the base of the bill.
- Both sexes have large blue-grey bills with black tips.
Greater Scaups are almost always seen in large bodies of water, where they congregate in large numbers with other Greater Scaups.
Greater Scaups are excellent diving ducks, and they regularly go down 20+ feet to find aquatic vegetation or invertebrates to eat. These ducks are mostly silent, except during breeding season, when you may hear males give a soft, nasally whistle.
#7. Tufted Duck
- Aythya fuligula
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males are black all over, with white sides and a white bill. They have a thin crest at the back of the head.
- Females are dark brown with slightly lighter flanks and a silvery-gray bill.
- Both sexes have golden-yellow eyes.
The easiest way to recognize male Tufted Ducks is by looking for the plume of long feathers on their heads. Their “tuft” is what this species is named for. It’s more apparent in males, but females also have longer feathers on their heads.
Tufted Ducks prefer marshy habitats with plenty of vegetation, which they use for nesting and to hide from predators. They most often dive into the water for food. Mollusks, including snails, are their primary food source, but they also eat aquatic insects and plants.
#8. Common Shelduck
- Tadorna tadorna
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males’ bodies are a mix of black, white, and cinnamon. Their heads are black, and their bills are red, with a large knob extending over the forehead.
- Females have similar coloring as males, though less bold. They lack the knob over the forehead.
Look for these ducks in open, unforested areas near lakes and rivers in Serbia. During molting, you can spot groups of up to 100,000 Common Shelducks together in salt marshes! It’s quite a party when these noisy ducks get together.
In addition to remaining in large groups, this duck has an ingenious way of protecting its young from predators. If they sense a threat, the babies will dive under the water’s surface while the parents fly off, acting as a decoy. This lures the predator away while the parents circle and return to their chicks.
They have a loud, rattling call that raises and lowers in pitch and speed.
#9. Eurasian Wigeon
- Mareca penelope
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males have a chestnut head and neck with a white forehead, pinkish breast, and gray, white, and black body.
- Females are gray and light brown overall with dots and mottling on the head and body.
The Eurasian Wigeon spends its breeding season in the north and migrates south for the winter. Interestingly, this species occasionally makes its way to North America, where it cross-breeds with the American Wigeon. Hybrids almost always look more like Eurasian Wigeons, although some keep the American Wigeon’s signature green eye patch.
This species is relatively helpless against predators, so they use safety in numbers to protect themselves. You can find nonbreeding Eurasian Wigeons in open wetlands, where they form large protective flocks. Although, you may hear this noisy species long before you see it!
Listen for the male’s sharp whistle, which sounds like “pjiew pjiew” or the female’s low “rawr” noise.
#10. Common Pochard
- Aythya ferina
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males have a chestnut-colored head with a black neck and bill, white body, and gray tail. Their eyes are bright orange.
- Females are mottled chestnut all over, with a dark brown or gray bill.
Look for Common Pochards in Serbia in wet habitats with vegetation.
These long-billed ducks make their homes in marshland and near lakes. In some areas, their populations are increasing, although modern land development threatens their habitat.
Like many ducks in Serbia, this species is very gregarious and forms large flocks during the winter. It will even join flocks of other diving ducks, including the Tufted Duck. The most important reason for flocking behavior is to protect themselves from predators, which are much more likely to go after a single bird than a group of thousands!
Females make a gravelly growling noise, while males have a high, nasally whistle that cuts off sharply at the end.
#11. Muscovy Duck
- Cairina moschata
Identifying Characteristics:
- Both sexes are black and white, but the pattern of color is highly variable. Adults have bare skin on their faces, which looks like a pink mask. Their bills can be yellow, pink, black, or a combination of these colors.
- Males’ black feathers are iridescent, giving off a greenish sheen in the sunlight.
- Females lack the green tint and are usually more drab looking.
Identifying the Muscovy Duck can be challenging because this domesticated breed has many color variations. The easiest way to tell if you’ve seen this species is by its size since it’s larger than other ducks in Serbia.
Muscovy Ducks are native to South America, where they’ve been domesticated since the pre-Columbian era by Native Americans. They are bred primarily as a food source. They were originally brought to Serbia as farming stock, but some Muscovy Ducks escaped and established feral colonies in the wild. Interestingly, this breed is the ONLY domesticated duck that isn’t a descendant of the Mallard!
Today, there are feral populations of Muscovy Ducks found all over the world. In combination with wild subspecies, it’s one of the most widespread ducks. Their tolerance for cold weather and human presence makes them the perfect species for population growth, even outside their natural habitat. Look for Muscovy Ducks alongside lakes, rivers, and ponds in populated areas.
#12. Garganey
- Spatula querquedula
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males are a mix of brown, gray, white, and black. Their bills are black, and they have a white stripe above the eye. In flight, a blue-green patch framed in white appears on the lower wing.
- Females have the same coloring but are much less pronounced than males.
The Garganey is a common duck in Serbia during the summer breeding season.
As a strict migratory species, the entire population moves south during the winter. This is unusual among ducks since most species have at least some year-round residents.
Unlike diving ducks, Garganeys forage their food from the water’s surface, skimming aquatic plants and insects. They dip their bill into the water and shake their heads often, which makes them look like they’re washing their faces. 🙂
But their feeding style isn’t the only thing that’s a little quirky about the Garganey. When calling, the male makes an exaggerated nodding motion with his head and neck, then releases a shrill clicking noise that sounds like a bug! Finally, he shakes his tail feathers rapidly as if he’s dancing. It’s truly something to watch!
#13. Long-tailed Duck
- Clangula hyemalis
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males are predominantly white, with black and brown patches. They have exceptionally long tail feathers that curve towards their backs.
- Females are a mix of reddish and dark brown with some white on the face and neck.
- Both sexes have chestnut-colored eyes.
The male Long-tailed Duck has an unmistakable appearance thanks to its sharply contrasting colors and long, thin tail feathers. Females lack long tail feathers but have the same basic shape, including a rounded head and small bill. Look for this duck in Serbia near marshes and coastlands.
Most Long-tailed Ducks congregate on the Baltic Sea, where up to 4.5 million of these ducks spend their winters! They spend the winter eating fish and shellfish, mostly near the surface of the water. However, if they need to, they can find food by diving deep under the surface.
In fact, Long-tailed Ducks can dive deeper than any other duck in Serbia.
They use their wings in a swimming motion, similar to a penguin. Long-tailed Ducks can dive up to 146 meters (480 feet) underwater to forage for crustaceans. This species is the only duck that uses its wings to dive. I bet the penguins are jealous they can’t fly like this duck!
Do you need more help identifying ducks in Europe?
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Which of these ducks in Serbia have you seen before?
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