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Anatidae
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ruddy shelduck A white-cheeked pintail duck, Anas bahamensis, floats on greenish water, showing its speckled brown body, white cheek patch, and red spot at the base of its bill. A male Northern Shoveler duck with a green head, white chest, and brown sides flies with wings raised against a blue sky.
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ruddy shelduck
ruddy shelduck Ruddy shelduck (Casarca ferruginea).

Anatidae

bird family
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History
white-cheeked pintail (Anas bahamensis)
1 of 2
white-cheeked pintail (Anas bahamensis)White-cheeked pintail (Anas bahamensis), also known as the Bahama pintail.
northern shoveler (Anas clypeata)
2 of 2
northern shoveler (Anas clypeata)A male northern shoveler (Anas clypeata) in flight.

Anatidae, bird family that includes ducks, geese, and swans and constitutes the suborder Anseres—by far the larger part of the order Anseriformes.

Classification

A widely accepted system of classification divides the Anatidae into 3 subfamilies and 8 to 12 tribes, as follows:

Alternate classifications

Some authorities include the eiders (Somateriini) in the Mergini, some separate a tribe Tachyerini (steamer duck) from the Tadornini, and some recognize a tribe Merganettini (torrent duck) aside from the Anatini. The Aythyini, Somateriini, Mergini, and (from one standpoint) the Oxyurini (pochard, diving duck, and stifftail) are often considered together in popular usage.

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.