The term perching ducks is used colloquially to mean any species of ducks distinguished by their readiness to perch high in trees.

Until the late 19th century, perching ducks meant the Cairinini, a tribe of ducks in the duck, goose, and swan family Anatidae, grouped together on the basis of their readiness to perch high in trees. The grouping has since been shown to be paraphyletic and their apparent similarities result from convergent evolution, with the different members more closely related to various other ducks than to each other.

Former members of the perching ducks have been suggested to be members, or close relatives, of other subfamilies. Species that were formerly in the Cairinini tribe (and their suggested current taxa) include:

  • Spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis): placed in its own subfamily, Plectropterinae
  • Salvadori's teal (Salvadorina waigiuensis): contentious; placed by some in Anatini, others in Tadornini; perhaps Anatini – is particularly closely related to Tachyeres, Lophonetta, and Speculanas species.; sometimes placed in its own tribe, Sarkidiorini

<gallery widths="200" heights="200">

File:Spur-winged goose, South Luangwa National Park (51866466429).jpg|Spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis)

File:Salvadorina waigiuensis, Jayawijaya, Papua, Indonesia 1 (cropped).jpg|Salvadori's teal (Salvadorina waigiuensis)

File:Merganetta armata (Pato de torrentes) - Macho (16286015670).jpg|Torrent duck (Merganetta armata)

File:Amazonetta brasiliensis (Brazilian Teal - Amazonasente) - Weltvogelpark Walsrode 2011.jpg|Brazilian teal (Amazonetta brasiliensis)

File:Knob-billed duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos) male.jpg|Knob-billed duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos)

File:Malacorhynchus membranaceus - Bushell's Lagoon.jpg|Pink-eared duck (Malacorhynchus membranaceus)

File:African pygmy goose, Nettapus auritus, at Muirhead Dams, Royal Macadamia Plantations, Machado, Limpopo, South Africa - male (26210431045) cropped.jpg|African pygmy goose (Nettapus auritus)

File:Wood Duck Wissahickon Creek.png|Wood duck (Aix sponsa)

File:Wood-Duck-male.jpg|Maned duck (Chenonetta jubata)

File:Black-bellied_whistling_duck_(33865926848).jpg|Black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)

</gallery>

Notes

References

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