The knob-billed duck is another bird I wanted to see when we went to India this last November, and did see, just not as good a sighting as I'd hoped for. It was a long way off and I couldn't really make it out with my naked eye. It was not until getting home and cropping photos that I could really see what I saw. I was also disappointed that I didn't get a male with a huge knob on its bill. I think one of the birds I saw was a male, but it was always obscured by a female and the knob is very small, which is what happens outside of the breeding season. It was in Keoladeo NP in India and pointed out to me by our guide, Ashok.
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| I believe the duck to the back right is a male. |
It is one of the largest species of duck. It has a white head freckled with dark spots, a white neck and underparts. The upperparts are glossy blue-black, with bluish and greenish iridescence, especially prominent on the secondaries (lower arm feathers). The male is larger than the female and has a large black knob on the bill.
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| Illustration of female from Birds of the World. |
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| Illustration of male from Birds of the World. |
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| Range from Birds of the World. |
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