Unlike diving ducks, dabbling ducks find their food near the surface of shallow ponds. They are often seen filtering the water for invertebrates and plant material, or upended in order to reach the bottom. There are 6 species that commonly breed in Iceland although others are infrequent visitors. The ubiquitous mallard (anas platyrhynchos) ~20,000 pairs, is the most numerous, followed by the wigeon (anas penelope) ~6000 pairs and the teal (anas crecca) ~5000 pairs.
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