Garganey

The garganey is a small dabbling duck. The adult male is unmistakable, with a brown head and breast and a broad white crescent over the eye; the rest of the plumage is grey, with loose grey scapular feathers, a grey bill and legs, a dark crown and a reddish-brown face. In flight he shows a pale blue speculum with a white border. The brown female needs care to separate from the common teal; stronger face markings and more frequent head-shaking while dabbling are good indicators. (Wikipedia, general species account)

The garganey breeds across much of Europe and the Palearctic, in grassland next to shallow marshes and steppe lakes, but is strictly migratory: the whole population moves in the northern winter to Africa, India, Bangladesh and Australasia, where large flocks can occur. Like other small ducks such as the Eurasian teal, it rises easily from the water with a fast, twisting, wader-like flight. It was first described by Linnaeus in the tenth edition of Systema Naturae in 1758. (Wikipedia, general species account)