 |
 Mandarin
Duck (Aix galericulata)
One of the most colorful of all ducks, the male
Mandarin duck has a red bill, large large white
crescent above eye, reddish face and
"whiskers," purple breast with two
vertical white bars, and orange flanks. Mandarin
ducks symbolize wedded bliss and fidelity in
traditional Chinese culture. |
 Northern Pintail (Anas
acuta)
Also known as sprigs,
pintails are fairly small ducks, having a
wingspan of about 9 to 11 inches, a body length
of 23 to 30 inches and weighing between 1 and 3
pounds. Adult male pintails have a long, thin
tail feather than can measure up to 4 inches
long. This feather narrows down to a sharp point
and is where they get their common name. |
 American
Wigeon (Anas americana)
This species is
distinguished from other dabbling ducks by its
small bill, the male's white forehead (which also
accounts for the alternative name of
"baldpate"), and certain aspects of its
nesting and feeding behavior. Other
characteristic features include the male's bright
green face patch, a large white patch on each
wing, and a black rear end bordered by white. |
 Northern
Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
The head, neck, and
speculum of male northern shovelers are
iridescent green, their chests are white, and the
remaining underparts are a bright chestnut. The
most distinctive feature of the shoveler is its
bill, which is twice as wide at the tip than at
the base. This uniquely-shaped bill accounts for
this species' common names -- shoveler and
spoonbill. |
 Green-Winged
Teal (Anas crecca)
The smallest dabbling duck in the
Americas, the green-winged teal is 13-17 inches
long and weighs 13 ounces on average; males are
slightly larger than females. Green-winged teals
are rapid, agile flyers, and are the only ducks
known to scratch while in flight. |
 Cinnamon
Teal (Anas cyanoptera) average about 16 inches in length, have
an average wingspan of about 7½ inches, and
weigh approximately 12 ounces. An adult male's head, chest, and
underside is generally purple-chestnut, and the
abdomen is dark brown. They take off to
flight directly from water, as opposed to the
"running start" procedure used by other
ducks. |
 Blue-Winged
Teal (Anas discors)
One of the smallest
members of the duck family, the blue-winged teal
is 14 to 16 inches long, has a wingspan of 22 to
24 inches, and weighs between 8 and 19 ounces.
Both sexes have large light blue patches on the
front of each wing, visible in flight. |
 The
Mallard (Anas
platyrhynchos)
may very well be the most easily recognized
waterfowl in the world. The male (drake) is
brightly colored from September to June. His
belly and most of his back are gray. His head and
neck are a dark glossy green and a white ring at
the base of the neck separates the green from the
brown of the breast. The familiar quack
of ducks is from the female mallard. She will
give the call when she wants to bring other ducks
to her. |
 Black Duck (Anas
rubripes)
Breeding males have a
buffy head that is heavily streaked with black,
especially through the eye and on the tip of the
head. In flight, the black duck appears to be
nearly black, with an underwing coloration that
is in contrast with the rest of its plumage. |
 Gadwall (Anas
strepera)
Gadwalls range in size
from 18 to 22 inches long and 1 to 2½ pounds in
weight, with both sexes being about the same
size. A white speculum is the most distinctive
marking on a gadwall, but it is only visible when
the bird is in flight. |
 White-Fronted
Goose (Anser albifrons)
A medium-sized goose, the
white-fronted averages 25 to 32 inches in length,
has an average wingspan of 53 inches, and weighs
between four and nine pounds. The least
distinctively marked of all the geese,
white-fronteds are often confused with domestic
geese, although domestics lack the black belly
markings and have thinner necks and bigger
bellies. |
 Snow
Goose (Anser caerulescens)
Snow geese come in two basic "color
schemes" -- an adult "snow snow
goose" is snowy white, while an adult
"blue snow goose" is blue/gray. The
colors appear to be genetically determined.
Individual snow geese tend to choose mates that
resemble their parents, but "mixed"
breeding is not uncommon. |
 Lesser Scaup (Aythya
affinis)
This medium-sized diving duck is 15 to
18 inches long, has a wingspan of 27 to 31
inches, and weighs between 1 and 2½ pounds. The
bill is bluish with a small black tip, the eyes
are yellow, and the legs are grayish with dark
gray webs. |
 Redhead (Aythya
americana)
This large diving duck
gets its name from the male's chestnut-red head.
The male redhead has a high, up-and-downish
forehead. His feet are bluish gray, and his eyes
are orange-yellow. Both the male and female have
a pale blue bill with a white ring around the
black tip. |
 Ring-Necked
Duck (Aythya collaris)
An adult male ring-necked
duck has a large body that is about 7½ to 8
inches long; the female is slightly smaller. His
head, neck and breast are black, he has gray
flanks, and there is a white crescent separating
the flanks from the breast. The female has tan
sides, a brown back and a white belly. Both sexes
have a black tip and a ring of gray on their
bill, although the female's bill ring is less
pronounced than the male's. |
 The Canvasback
(Aythya valisineria) is distinguished from other ducks by
its sloping profile. The male has a rusty red
head, white body, and black chest and rear end.
The female is drabber and marked in brown and
gray. |
 The
Brant (Branta
bernicla) is a small- to medium-sized goose,
averaging about 24 inches in body length and
weighing between 42 and 63 ounces. |
 The Canada
Goose (Branta canadensis)
is a large (up to nine pounds) gray-brown bird
with black head and neck and a white patch
extending from the chin, up the cheeks to behind
the eyes. The tail is black while the feathers
around the base of the tail are white. Canada
geese are rarely found alone. They fly in flocks
in the form of a "V" or a diagonally
straight line. |
 Bufflehead (Bucephala
albeola)
This short-billed diving duck is called
a bufflehead because its high, rounded head looks
a bit too large and puffy for its body. The
smallest duck in North America, the bufflehead is
only 13 to 16 inches long, and has a wingspan of
no more than 22 inches. Unlike most ducks,
buffleheads form long-term mating pairs. |
 The Common
Goldeneye (Bucephalus
clangula) is distinguished from other goldeneyes
by its puffy head shape and a large white wing
patch that is conspicuous in flight. And, in
flight, its wings produce a characteristic
whistling sound. Males have a white body, black
back, and iridescent green head, while females
are mostly gray and have a dark brown head. |
 Barrow's
Goldeneye (Bucephala
islandica) is
characterized by its chunky body and large head
with steep forehead. One of the
longest living of the ducks, Barrow's goldeneyes
may reach an age of up to 18 years. In fact, most
females don't even breed until after reaching
their third year. |
 The
Emperor Goose (Chen
canagica) is a
medium-sized goose -- 26 to 28 inches long and
weighing about 6 pounds. Most emperor geese spend
the entire year on the west coast of Alaska, on
the Aleutian Islands, or along the eastern coast
of Siberia. |
 Ross' Goose (Chen
rossi) is small compared to many other members
of the geese family -- about 24 inches long, a
wingspan of about 45 inches, and weighing between
30 and 72 ounces. It is completely white except
for black primaries, a greenish warty patch at
the base of a pink bill, and dark pink legs. |
 Trumpeter
Swan (Cygnus buccinator)
Once fairly widespread,
trumpeter swans are now only found in isolated
populations in western Canada and the western
United States. It inhabits lakes, ponds, large
rivers, bays, and sometimes grain fields with
large ponds. |
 The Tundra
Swan (Cygnus columbianus),
also known as the whistling swan,
can be distinguished from other swans by the
presence of a yellow spot at the base of its
black beak, the black of the bill extending up to
the eye but not encircling it, and the straight
demarcation on the forehead between black bill
and white feathering. |
 Mute Swan (Cygnus
olor) The most distinguishing features of the
mute swan is a black "knob" at the base
up the upper bill, and the color of the bill
itself, which is orange, with the tip and base
colored black. Contrary to the stereotype of the
"pining swan" who has lost its mate,
mute swans do not actually pair for life. |
 Harlequin
Duck (Histrionicus
histrionicus)
The male harlequin is blue-gray,
appearing black at a distance, with chestnut
flanks, wedge on head, and has distinctive white
patches on the head and body. These expert
swimmers are capable of riding rapids, diving and
probing among the bottom stones of swift rivers
and streams. |
 The Hooded
Merganser (Lophodytes
cucullatus) is the smallest North American
merganser. In addition to its small size, it is
distinguished from the other mergansers by its
brownish-black back and wings, black head with
white, fan-shaped crest bordered in black, and
white underside. Hooded mergansers are clumsy,
but quick, flyers. They take off by running
across the water to gain flight speed, and often
land by "skiing" across the water to
come to a stop. |
 White-Winged
Scoter (Melanitta fusca)
This large, stocky diving duck is 19 to
23 inches long, has a wingspan of about 30
inches, and weighs between 2 and 4 pounds. Males
are black except for a white comma-shaped patch
around the eyes and a white patch on each wing
that is only visible in flight. |
 Surf
Scoter (Melanitta
perspicillata)
This large, stocky diving duck is 19 to
24 inches long, has a wingspan of about 30
inches, and weighs between 2 and 4 pounds. The
male is entirely black except for one or two
white patches on the face. He has a large bill
that is patterned with white, red, yellow, and
black patch near the base. |
 Red-Breasted
Merganser (Mergus serrator)
This large, thin diving duck is 20 to 25
inches long, has a wingspan of 26 to 29 inches,
and weighs 1½ to 3 pounds. It is differentiated
from other mergansers by its extra-long, shaggy
crest and white wing patches. |
 Ruddy
Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
In the spring, the male sports a
red-brown chest, rump and flank, and a white
streak on the cheeks. Characteristics of the
species include large gray feet and a concave
bill, which is gray is the winter but will change
to a blue-gray in the spring for males. Ruddy
ducks are poor fliers and require long
"runways" to get airborne, so their
best defense against danger is to either swim or
dive. |
 Steller's
Eider (Polysticta stelleri)
The smallest of the
eiders, this duck is only 17 to 18 inches long.
It is characterized by a small, thick-based, and
slightly drooping bill, steep forehead and nape,
and a long, pointed tail held above the water. |
 The Spectacled
Eider (Somateria fischeri) differs from other eiders in that its
feathers extend down to the nostrils on the bill,
which is bright orange on males and blue-gray on
females. Males have a black chest and pale green
head, but are best distinguished by the white
patches around their eyes, which are encircled by
black feathers to give the appearance of
spectacles. |
 King
Eider (Somateria spectabilis)
This large, stocky duck
weighs between 3½ and 4½ pounds, and is 19 to
25 inches long. During the breeding season the
male is black and white with a brightly colored
head, light blue crown and nape, greenish face,
and bright red-orange bill with large orange knob
outlined with black. |
