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romy ocon | all galleries >> Wild Birds of the Philippines (Photos) >> My Favorites >> Philippine Duck > KZ2L3744-800x600.jpg
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10-JAN-2008

KZ2L3744-800x600.jpg

Philippine Duck
(a Philippine endemic)

Scientific name - Anas luzonica

Habitat - Freshwater marshes, shallow lakes and ricefields.

[1DM2 + 500 f4 L IS + Canon 1.4x TC, 475B/3421 support]

Canon EOS 1D Mark II
1/1600s f/7.1 at 700.0mm iso320 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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romy ocon12-Jan-2008 02:52
From afar, my naked eyes noticed that something was a bit odd with this duck. I couldn't place it exactly at first, then I realized from a distance that its wing flaps are a bit faster than those of its flight mates.

I then acquired it in my viewfinder and 700 mm of magnification showed something amazing - for whatever reason, this duck lost a significant portion of its flight feathers and it can still fly!

Wow.... looks like nature has built some excess capacity into this species' flight system. I'd say at least 20% of the wing surface was gone, yet the bird could still keep up with its flight mates. It did have to beat its wing faster to generate the same lift and forward thrust.
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