Ducks belong to the sub family Anatinae. Not only is this grouping the largest group of waterfowl it is also the most diverse. The characteristics generally held in common by ducks when compared to geese and swans are the small body size, shorter necks, narrower wings which are more pointed, and wing beats which are more rapid.

Frequently the males and females are colored differently with the male having the brighter plumage of the two. There are two body molts per molting cycle. The most significant is the eclipse which is the cycle that takes place during the end of the breeding season that results in males and females looking almost identical. Another characteristic is the speculum which is produced by the bright metallic feathering of the secondary feathers. There are also voice differences between the male and the female. The female incubates and rears the young. More information can be found from the sources in the reference list at the bottom of this web page.

AMERICAN BLACK
Scientific Name: Anas rubripes

AMERICAN BLACK

Look For	Mallard-size, mottled, dark black-brown; male has greener beak than female and is slightly larger
Nesting Area	West coast of Hudson Bay, Labrador south to Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, and North Carolina
Wintering Area	Wisconsin south to northern Florida and central Texas
Nest Site	Ground boxes, weeded areas; not guarded by male
Initial Nest	During spring-summer of first year
When	April until June in the nesting area and at Chenoa
Clutch Size	10 to 12 eggs
Incubation	Approximately 28 days

LAYSAN TEAL (ENDANGERED)
Scientific Name: Anas platyrhyncos laysanensis

LAYSAN TEAL

Look For	Male has dark head and neck, white ring around the eye, resembles female mallard, but more reddish-brown, green and black speculum; female similar to male with brown speculum
Nesting Area	Laysan Island
Wintering Area	Not Applicable
Nest Site	On the ground under Chenopodium or Scaerola bushes
Initial Nest	During spring-summer of first year
When	Early May until June
Clutch Size	5 to 6 eggs
Incubation	Approximately 26 to 28 days

MALLARD
Scientific Name: Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos

MALLARD

Look For	Male has metallic green head and neck separated from the purplish-brown breast by a white ring; females are mottled, buffy-brown in color with a pale eye-brow and a dark stripe through the eye
Nesting Area	Throughout the Northern Hemisphere in places where climatic conditions are not too severe
Wintering Area	Amost to the Tropic of Cancer and in Africa as far south as South Africa
Nest Site	Ground boxes, weeded areas where the nest is concealed beneath the undergrowth, usually near water; not guarded by male
Initial Nest	During spring-summer of first year
When	April until June in the nesting area and at Chenoa
Clutch Size	10 to 12 buffish-green eggs
Incubation	Approximately 28 days

MANDARIN
Scientific Name: Aix galericulata

MANDARIN

Look For	Males have triangular orange feathers over back; females are mottled light brown with eye over a white line
Nesting Area	Manchuria, Northeastern China, and Japan
Wintering Area	Sedentary in Japan, South of Yangtze in China
Nest Site	Nests on the ground in the vegetation or in old tree nests of other species
Initial Nest	During spring-summer of first year
When	April and May in nesting area and Chenoa
Clutch Size	9 to 12 eggs
Incubation	Approximately 28 to 30 days

MANED GOOSE
Scientific Name: Chenonetta jubata

MANED GOOSE

Look For	Males with dark brown head and neck, while back, rump, tail, and belly are black, with breast and sides grayish; females head and neck are pale brown with white lines above and below the eye
Nesting Area	Australia
Wintering Area	Not Applicable
Nest Site	Nests are in suitable tree holes
Initial Nest	During spring-summer of second year
When	January to March in New South Wales, but may be found at any time during the year, August to September is often the peak inland
Clutch Size	9 to 11 eggs
Incubation	Approximately 28 days

WOOD DUCK
Scientific Name: Aix sponsa

WOOD DUCK

FEMALE WOOD DUCK ON NEST

Look For	Males with green head crest and gray sides, females are mottled, medium brown, white line runs toward eye, eye with a white circle around it
Nesting Area	Virtually the entire eastern United States; has been encouraged by man-made nest boxes placed near water
Wintering Area	Southern half of range
Nest Site	Upright boxes and holes in trees made by natural decay or by woodpeckers; nest is loosely guarded by male when female is inside
Initial Nest	During spring-summer of first year
When	Late March until June in the nesting area and at Chenoa
Clutch Size	9 to 14 eggs (two clutches at Chenoa at 10 average)
Incubation	Approximately 31 to 35 days

CANVAS BACK
Scientific Name: Aythya valisineria

CANVAS BACK

Look For	Diving duck; males have redish brown head, light gray sides; female is light brown with a mottled appearance
Nesting Area	Central Alaska south to central Oregon and northern Utah, New Mexico, and southern Nebraska
Wintering Area	Chesapeake Bay and San Fransico Bay
Nest Site	Bulky well-concealed nest usually amongst reeds or rushes
Initial Nest	During spring-summer of first year
When	Second week of May
Clutch Size	7 to 10 eggs
Incubation	Approximately 23 to 29 days

RED-CRESTED
Scientific Name: Netta rufina

RED-CRESTED

Look For	Diving duck; males have red head, light gray sides, neck and breast are black, bill is bright red; female has dark brown head and nape with whitish cheeks and foreneck
Nesting Area	Small numbers in Denmark, Germany, Rumania, Netherlands, and Czechoslovakia; more in France, Spain, and USSR
Wintering Area	South to Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian Seas
Nest Site	On islands or in dense vegetation near water's edge and with a tunnel approach; constructed of grass and leaves
Initial Nest	During spring-summer of first year
When	May and June in the nesting area
Clutch Size	6 to 14 eggs
Incubation	Approximately 26 to 28 days

RING-NECKED
Scientific Name: Aythya collaris

RING-NECKED

Look For	Diving duck; males have black head, light gray sides, white stripes on beak; female is chocolate brown, white cheeks and base of bill
Nesting Area	Entire Northern boundary of United States to Nova Scotia, Labrador, British Columbia and Great Slave Lake
Wintering Area	Entire southern United States
Nest Site	Among weeds near water, ground boxes, or hole in lake bank
Initial Nest	During spring-summer of first year
When	May and June in the nesting area
Clutch Size	6 to 14 eggs
Incubation	Approximately 26 to 27 days

ROSY-BILLED
Scientific Name: Netta peposaca

ROSY-BILLED

Look For	Diving duck; male has black head, gray sides, and bright red beak; female is medium brown with bluish gray beak
Nesting Area	Southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina
Wintering Area	Not Applicable
Nest Site	Ground boxes or in tall weeds which serve as canopy to shade and hide nest
Initial Nest	During spring-summer of first year
When	October until December in the nesting area, June until July at Chenoa
Clutch Size	Up to 14 eggs
Incubation	Approximately 23 to 25 days

Bellrose. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. third edition. 1980.

Cogswell. Water Birds of California. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. 1977.

Johnsgard. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World. Lincoln: The University of Nebraska Press. 1978.

Madge, Steve and Burn, Hilary. Waterfowl: An Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1988.

Shortt and Cartwright. Know Your Ducks and Geese. Des Moines, Iowa: Sports Afield. 1980.

Soothill and Whitehead. Wildfowl of the World. Dorset, Great Britain: Blandford Press. 1978.

Todd, Frank S. Handbook of Waterfowl Identification. Vista, California: Ibis Publishing Company, 1997.

Todd, Frank S. Natural History of the Waterfowl. Vista, California: Ibis Publishing Company, 1997.

Todd, Frank S. Waterfowl: Ducks, Geese and Swans of the World. San Diego, California: Sea World Press, 1979.

Weller, Milton W. The Island Waterfowl. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University Press, 1980.

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Waterfowl of Chenoa Home Page

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Last Modified Wednesday, 13-Jul-2005 13:44:06 CDT