#anserines

So, waterfowl. You might take your neighborhood mallards for granted as I often have, but waterfowl are really very cool. Yes, even the endless hordes of Canada geese blocking your commute, disgruntled American readers. The order Anseriformes contains something like 180 extant species, and just about all of them are outright fascinating. Today we'll zero in on a small clan of anatids known variously as the oxyurins, oxyurines, or the stiff-tailed ducks.