Waterfowl Identification in the Winter

This is a repeat from several years ago.  Enjoy!

Winter is here.  The landscapes are bare of the lush greenery that cloaks them in summer, and the woodland birds—woodpeckers, waxwings, warblers, and sparrows—are constantly on the search for new sources of food in their altered homes.  Hawks, too, are taking advantage of the dining opportunities that winter brings, choosing a high vantage point as they do so, riding the breezes against a gray sky reflected on the calm water of a pond or lake nearby.

On these ponds and lakes, yet another group of wintering birds can be observed: ducks!  As they float about together, feeding on plants and small aquatic animals, they are much easier to see and identify than all those look-alike warblers and sparrows.

Or are they?

The vast majority of ducks are shy and skittish, and you’re lucky if you can creep up on them without provoking them to fly.  And some of the species that form large flocks on open water, such as scaup and Redheads, are often so far away when you spot them that you’re hard-pressed to locate any distinguishing details even with the aid of a spotting scope.  Ducks circling overhead in flight can also be elusive.  With these points in mind, let’s take a look at the ducks and duck-like birds of the southeastern U.S., and their identifying traits.

The most familiar species in the family Anatidae (which encompasses all of the world’s swans, geese, and ducks) are the dabbling ducks, in the genus Anas.  Species in this group feed directly on the surface of the water or just a few inches below it, tipping themselves forward to reach aquatic vegetation.  The Mallard is one of the most abundant and widespread dabblers, and can be seen in many wetland habitats.  The males are difficult to mistake, with their glossy green heads, rich brown breasts, and yellow bills.  Females are a mottled tawny brown with orange and black bills.  Both sexes have bright purplish-blue speculums (colored patches on the secondary feathers) bordered in white.  In addition, the Mallard is a very large duck, measuring 23 inches from tail to bill.

A similar species that was formerly common but is now in decline is the American Black Duck.  Both male and female Black Ducks look like darker versions of the female Mallard, but the male Black Duck’s bill is yellow, and the female’s is grayish.  Their speculums lack the bold white borders of the Mallards’.  The Gadwall, another duck resembling the female Mallard, is slightly smaller than its relative and has drabber feathers.  Males are mottled grayish-brown, with black tails and dark-gray bills.  Females are browner, and their bills are gray on top and have dull- orange sides.  The most distinctive field mark on this species is a small white patch on the wing, which stands out even at a great distance.

Wintering flocks of Mallards and Gadwalls often contain yet another species: the American Wigeon.  This duck is about 19 inches long and has a rounder build than these other dabbling ducks.  The males and females have brownish flanks, pale gray bills, and green speculums.  The male has green ear patches and a strikingly white forehead and cap.  The female’s head is stippled and has a tinge of olive.  

The Northern Pintail, like the Mallard, is a very large duck.  Slim and long-necked, it has sharp, pointed tail feathers, especially obvious on the male, who also has a dark brown head and a white breast.  His body is mostly light gray.  The female is mottled brown all over.  These ducks have shiny, dark gray bills.

Except for sharing the same genus, the two common species of teal in the eastern U.S. are not closely related.  They are both very small ducks, however, and have green speculums.  In addition to the green speculum, the Blue-winged Teal has periwinkle-blue wing coverts.  Both the male and the female are mostly mottled grayish-brown, but the male has a white crescent in front of the eye.  The Green-winged Teal female can be told from the female Blue-winged Teal by its browner coloration.  The male Green-winged Teal’s head is rich chestnut and green, its back and flanks are gray, and its breast is buff-colored with black speckles.  Blue-winged Teal are very common during migration, but they can be a bit difficult to find in inland areas during the winter.  Green-winged Teal may not be as abundant in the spring and fall, but they winter in these areas more frequently than their counterparts.

Blue-winged Teal

A more unusual dabbling duck is the Northern Shoveler, named for its exceptionally large, spatulate bill.  With these bills, shovelers are able to strain large amounts of mud for small invertebrates.  Sometimes called “spoonbill” or “smiling Mallard”, the male shoveler has a green head, white breast, and chestnut flanks.  Females are mottled brown, but, like the males, they have glossy green speculums.

Diving ducks, genus Aythya, forage mostly below the water’s surface.  They are often seen in huge flocks, or rafts.  They have heavy bodies and relatively short wings, so, unlike dabbling ducks, they must have a running start on the water in order to fly.  If individuals in a distant group of ducks periodically disappear and then pop up again, they are diving ducks.

Some of the most well-known members of this genus, Canvasbacks are large, robust ducks.  They have long black bills and sloping profiles.  The male has a chestnut head, black breast, and white back.  The female has a brown head and neck, and a pale brownish-gray back.  The Redhead is superficially similar to the Canvasback, but it is slightly smaller and has a shorter neck, shorter bill, and lacks the sloping profile of its relative.  Males have chestnut heads, black breasts, and gray backs.  Females are warm brown all over.  The bills of both sexes are tricolored: blue-gray, white, and black.

The white, sloping backs let you know immediately that these are Canvasbacks!  Ring-billed Gulls are in the background.

Probably the most common diving duck is the Ring-necked Duck.  Actually, it might have been better to have named it the Ring-billed Duck, as the thin chestnut ring on its neck is difficult to see, but the white-ringed black bill is obvious.  The male of this species has a dark, glossy head and breast, a black back, and gray sides.  A bright white line separates the black breast from the gray flanks.  The female is brownish overall with pale cheeks and a white eye-ring.

Ring-necked Ducks

There are two species of scaup in North America: the Greater and the Lesser.  If both species are next to each other, it may be possible to see a difference in size between them, but this is not a foolproof field mark.  Better identifying features are the more rounded head shape of Greater Scaup (Lesser Scaup have a slight point at the crown) and the higher amount of white in the Greater Scaups’ wings.  A male scaup of either species will have a dark head and breast, very pale gray flanks, and a gray back.  A female is brown, with a white patch at the base of the bill.  The bill in both sexes is gray.

A group of waterfowl collectively known as Sea Ducks includes scoters, goldeneyes, and buffleheads.  Buffleheads, closely related to goldeneyes, are the only common members of this group where I live.  These tiny ducks, just 13 inches in length, have large, round heads, small bills, and bob about on open lakes.  The male’s black head has a large, white wedge-shaped patch, and his underparts are white.  The female is grayer, with a dark brown head and a white ear patch.  Another small duck that is often seen on large ponds and lakes is the Ruddy Duck, in the group Stiff-tailed Ducks.  This species has a broad bill that on the breeding male is bright blue.  In winter birds, however, the beak is gray.  These ducks have buff-colored underparts, dark brown wings and caps, and the males have white cheeks. 

Mergansers are another set of waterfowl.  The Common Merganser, a very large, mostly pale duck with a dark head and red bill, is actually uncommon to rare in the southeastern U.S. in the winter.  Our most abundant merganser is the Hooded, a medium-sized duck with a thin, serrated bill used in catching fish and crustaceans, and possessing a somewhat bizarre appearance.  The male has rufous sides, a white breast, and a fan-like crest with a large white patch in the center.  His mate is brown with a white wing patch, and a smaller tuft of brown feathers on her head.  This duck occurs in both open and wooded areas, and nests regularly in the Southeast.

The Wood Duck also breeds in the south and is sometimes seen in winter flocks with the Hooded Merganser.  Most birders are familiar with the colorful plumage of the male Wood Duck, and the subtle brown feathering and white eye-ring of the female.  When a group of Wood Ducks is disturbed, they will often fly off with distinctive oooeeek! calls. 

Swans are rare in our area, but geese are nearly always common.  The ubiquitous Canada Goose is well-known to nearly all birders.  Stocky white Snow Geese are also present, providing opportunities to search for their smaller, rarer cousin, the Ross’s Goose.  And, if you’re on the lookout for waterfowl, you may also spot Greater White-fronted Geese mingling with Canada and Snow Geese, or perhaps foraging on their own.  Their brown necks and orange bills are distinctive.

There are also duck look-alikes, such as grebes and coots, both of which have lobed, not webbed feet.  The little Pied-billed Grebe usually swims alone or in small groups.  It frequently submerges itself in the water, only to pop up again several feet from where it dived.  American Coots are very duck-like in their habits, although they are related to rails and gallinules.  Their stocky gray bodies and chicken-like white bills are noticeable even from a great distance.

When you’re out birding this winter, be sure to witness the fascinating behaviors of the ducks, geese, and other waterbirds that are taking up residence.  With their myriad forms and patterns, they bring striking color and vibrant action to our cloudy, gray landscapes.

Ring-necked Ducks and Green-winged Teal