Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Pink-headed Duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea), recorded as Critically Endangered
Pink-headed Duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Pink-headed Duck

Rhodonessa caryophyllacea

Pink-headed Duck is a bird in the family Anatidae (order Anseriformes) — Rhodonessa caryophyllacea, recorded as Critically Endangered.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Rhodonessa caryophyllacea
CITES
Appendix I
Taxonomy
Aves · Anseriformes · Anatidae · Rhodonessa

Appearance

The male has a pink bill, head and neck while the female has a pale pinkish head and neck with a paler bill. Wings have a leading white edge. In flight it would not contrast as much as the syntopic white-winged duck.

Both sexes are 41–43 cm and long-billed with long necks and peaked heads. The eggs measure 1.71 to 1.82 inches long and 1.61 to 1.7 inches wide.

Range and habitat

Hume collected a specimen in Manipur that he noted was very rare, hiding among dense reeds in Loktak Lake. Edward Blyth claimed that it was found in the Rakhine state of Burma. Specimens were shot at Najafgarh lake in the Delhi district.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

In crisis

It has been suggested that it may exist in 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.

CITES lists this taxon on Appendix I. Confirm the current appendix on the CITES checklist.

Pink-headed Duck is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Pink-headed Duck, Wikidata item Q597144. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Also in this catalog

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Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii
Photograph of Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum

Quick answers

What is Pink-headed Duck?
Pink-headed Duck is a bird in the family Anatidae (order Anseriformes) — Rhodonessa caryophyllacea.
What is the conservation status of Pink-headed Duck?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Rhodonessa caryophyllacea. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Pink-headed Duck live?
The pink-headed duck is a probable extinct species of large diving duck that was once found in parts of the Gangetic plains and parts of Maharashtra State of India, Nepal, Bangladesh and in the riverine swamps of Myanmar but has been feared extinct since the 1950s.
Why is Pink-headed Duck in crisis?
It has been suggested that it may exist in 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.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Rhodonessa caryophyllacea?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Pink-headed Duck a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.