Comb Duck
Comb DuckComb DuckComb DuckComb Duck

Comb Duck

Sarkidiornis melanotos

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Kafue National Park
57 Verified sightings at Kafue National Park From 2019 to 2026
4,926 Verified sightings across all 57 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Comb Duck

The knob-billed duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos) or African comb duck is a type of duck found along the tropical/sub-tropical wetlands and waterways of Sub-Saharan Africa and the island of Madagascar, as well as most of South Asia and mainland Indochina.

Most taxonomic authorities classify the knob-billed duck and the comb duck separately. A misidentified species of extinct Mauritian comb duck was initially described from unrecognised remains of the Mauritius sheldgoose (Alopochen mauritiana); this was realised as early as 1897, but the printed case of mistaken identity can still, occasionally, be found in modern-day sources.

Uncertainty surrounds the correct systematic placement of this species. Initially, it was placed in the dabbling duck subfamily Anatinae. Later, it was assigned to the "perching ducks", a paraphyletic assemblage of waterfowl most of which are intermediate between dabbling ducks and shelducks. As the "perching ducks" were split up, the knob-billed duck was moved to the Tadorninae or shelduck subfamily.

Analysis of mtDNA sequences of the cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 genes, however, suggests that it is a quite basal member... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Kafue National Park

Egyptian Goose
LC

Egyptian Goose

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Alopochen aegyptiaca

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Spur-winged Goose
LC

Spur-winged Goose

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Plectropterus gambensis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
White-faced Whistling Duck
LC

White-faced Whistling Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dendrocygna viduata

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Red-billed Teal
LC

Red-billed Teal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas erythrorhyncha

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Hottentot Teal
LC

Hottentot Teal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spatula hottentota

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
African Pygmy-Goose
LC

African Pygmy-Goose

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Nettapus auritus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Yellow-billed Duck
LC

Yellow-billed Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas undulata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
African Black Duck
LC

African Black Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas sparsa

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
White-backed Duck
LC

White-backed Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalassornis leuconotus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
2 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~30%
3 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
4 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
5 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~20%
6 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
7 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
8 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
9 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
10 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
11 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
12 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
13 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
14 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
15 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
16 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
17 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
18 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
19 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~10%
20 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
21 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
22 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
23 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
24 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
25 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
26 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
27 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
28 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
29 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
30 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
31 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
32 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
33 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
34 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
35 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
36 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
37 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
38 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
39 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
40 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
41 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
42 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
Insufficient data
43 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
44 Gir National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
45 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Insufficient data
46 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
47 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
Insufficient data
48 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
49 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
50 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
51 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
Insufficient data
52 Ankarafantsika National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
Insufficient data
53 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Insufficient data
54 Ranomafana National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
Insufficient data
55 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
Insufficient data
56 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
57 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Comb Duck in Kafue National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Comb Duck sighting in Kafue National Park, based on 57 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Comb Duck in Kafue National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for Comb Duck in Kafue National Park in our monthly data.

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