Duck Identification Chart - Full Colour illustrations and Descriptions

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Females are brown with a yellow streak along the tail. Both males and females have a green wing patch. Scientific Name: Mergus Merganser Conservation Status: Green Population: 3,100 – 3,800 breeding pairs Found in Australia and New Guinea, this species has long, tan plumes on its flanks. It’s named for its whistling calls and is known to favor grasslands near water bodies. When they hatch, the female leads their young to where the food is so they can feed themselves. Sometimes, broods mix with other broods, particularly if the female leaves early or when broods are part of a territorial dispute among females.

Their specialized bill contains grooves that lets them filter microscopic plants and animals out of the warm water they live in. These plants and animals make up the majority of their diet. Lesser Scaups feed primarily on mollusks and clams that they find after diving into the water and sifting through the bottom. They also dabble in the water for plant vegetation like bulrushes, wild celery, wild rice, and pondweeds. Gadwall ( Mareca strepera) – 1,200 pairs/25,000 birds – native (though numbers increased by releases of captive birds) Buffleheads were originally called “Buffalo Heads” because of their large heads. Over time, this became “bufflehead.” Buffleheads Buffleheads (male)Males have a white body with a dark green head, whereas females have a gray body with a cinnamon-colored head. Mallards upend in shallow water, feed from the surface, and sometimes dive. They also graze on dry land, and forage for food in fields and woodland.

Females are brown with intricate scaled patterns on their bodies. They also have a brown patch on their wings. You can find Gadwalls in open wetlands, grasslands, and marshes with dense vegetation. In winter, you can see Gadwalls in saltwater marshes, city parks, reservoirs, and muddy estuaries. The female is similar to the male in eclipse plumage and very similar to the female mallard. The head is grey and the tail is dull. The bill has orange sides, and the legs are orange. Misidentification can lead to inaccurate data, which can negatively impact conservation and management strategies. Nests of Common Mergansers are usually found in a tree cavity in mature forests. They often use abandoned tree holes and line them with down feathers. They also use nest boxes where available. If there are no tree cavities, they use crevices on cliffsides.

Do ducks migrate?

Scientific Name: Anas Platyrhynchos Conservation Status: Amber Population: 61,000 – 146,000 breeding pairs

This species is on the conservation watch list due to declining numbers. However, they currently have two different breeding populations. One is in North America and the second is in South America.Fun Fact: An adult Lesser Scaup may pretend to be dead when in the jaws of a predator like the Red Fox. 15. Greater Scaup The greater snow goose is a slightly larger version of the white-phase lesser snow goose. No color dimorphism has been discovered in this race. In the field it is virtually impossible to tell these two apart. In the hand, the larger size and longer bill of the greater snow goose distinguish it from its smaller counterpart. The sexes are similar in appearance, but the female is often smaller. Native to China, this exotic species is now more numerous in Europe, where it escaped from wildfowl collections. The male has amazing orange ‘sails’ – actually modified wing feathers. Mandarin, Aix galericulata/Credit: Getty Shoveler Nests of Blue-winged Teals are often found in a hollow in the ground, sheltered behind tall grasses and near a water source. They are built from grass and weeds and lined with down. During the breeding season, Barrow’s Goldeneyes favor aquatic insects and, in fact, will head to habitats that have no insect-eating fish around so they won’t have any competition for this type of prey. In winter, they will feast on crustaceans, mollusks, and small fish.