Ducks are a large group of water birds with longish necks and webbed feet. Their beak is generally lamellate, meaning the “toothy” structures inside the beak strain food and allow it to be swallowed whole. Ducks can fly like the wind and often escape predators diving underwater as well. They are a very successful order of birds, despite being eaten by human hunters with shotguns. The above is a male American Wigeon, formerly called a “baldpate” on account of the white cap (“pate” means the top of the head and “bald” often means white). Wigeons are a worldwide group of several duck species that clip off grass and other plant life as part of their vegetarian lifestyle. In flight, their white patch on the front of the wing reminds one of the Swainson’s Hawk, an odd pattern for a bird.

Wigeons are dabbling ducks and are therefore lighter in weight than these two diving ducks. This is a Redhead (left) and a Canvasback (right rear). Both males have reddish heads and lighter backs, although the Canvasback has a longer head/bill profile. These two ducks are at home in salt or freshwater, unlike most of the dabbling species.

Female ducks like this Redhead are usually well-camouflaged, generally brown. Most dabbling hens are streaked underneath while most diving ducks are plain (except eiders). These hen Redheads have a light eye-ring and a black bill-tip, and the wing-stripe is gray, not white like in scaups. Note the rounded head like a Greater Scaup, with which they congregate more than they do with Lessers

Teal are small, fast ducks with a dozen or so species around the World. This is the Green-winged Teal, a smaller cousin of the Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal. While the green in the wing is hard to see, the green stripe through the male’s eye is unmistakable, bordered by the reddish on the balance of the head. These and Buffleheads are our smallest ducks.

Northern Pintail are one of several pintail around the World, always long, thin ducks with mind-numbing speed. There are four males and two females, but also a Blue-winged Teal on the lower right and a female shoveler (see next page) on the top, far right. These are all examples of freshwater ducks, which are generally dabbling ducks as well. Do you know the only freshwater diving duck we have? Huh? 😉 Northern Shovelers are also members of a larger group of shoveler species around the World. Like Blue-winged Teal, they have powder blue on the front oftheir wings and a green speculum. These are often called “spoonies” by hunters and are not considered good table fare. Perhaps this is one reason they have increased in recent years. (?)

Shovelers often don’t attain nice breeding colors until late winter and this fall bird is mired in typical duck eclipse plumage. This was described by the Native American sayings, “Heez buh tuglee.” Notice the long bill, yellow eyes and orange feet. This male is just beginning to get his green head, causing some to call them Mallards.

A genus of fish-eating, diving ducks is the mergansers. These are poor in flavor and reflect their fish-eating habits with their long, toothy bill. This is a hen Red-breasted Merganser, the common species over much of North America. I will admit the line of demarcation is strong on this bird, suggesting a Common, but also note the shaggy head of a RB.

Geese are really overgrown ducks in many ways, although their beaks are tougher for grazing. These are Snow Goose, with one dark morph (the old “Blue” Goose) flying with the white morphs. This species nests in the High Arctic and isn’t even common breeders as far south as Alaska! The white morph is abundant in Texas winters while the dark form (Blue) is more common wintering in Louisiana.

This rail was once known as the Common Gallinule, changed to Moorhen, and now is back to Gallinule (incorrectly, in my opinion). Note the vertical bill (unlike a duck) and unwebbed feet. Several of these rails like coots have a frontal shield, protecting them from nasty vegetation while foraging.

Cormorants are related to pelicans and not ducks. They catch & eat fish with their hooked bill and swim especially well with totipalmate feet, where the webbing extends to the hind toe. This is the larger Double-crested, easily identified by the white chest, which immatures of this species boast. The smaller Neotropic Cormorants are browner up front as immatures. The species which evolved in the late Stone Age is the Neolithic Cormorant and the one that’s brown, white and pink is the -you guessed it; Neopolitan.

Up close you can see the gular pouch, found on all cormorants and their relatives. This allows their throats to expand to accommodate large fish (and in Mississippi, huge bales of tobacco). The eyes are green, allowing them to see better in murky water, and are the only green eyes I know of in the bird world. And of course, they have hooked bills to help hold struggling fish, as opposed to the straight beaks of Anhingas.

Anhingas have straight beaks, and this individual in South Florida is already in breeding plumage. Their sky blue corneas are rare in the bird world, as opposed to my jokes, which just get cornea and cornea. This male is really getting into breeding plumage with the white feathers on the head and neck.

Grebes are also swimming birds, sometimes confused with ducks. They lack the flat, lamellate bill of ducks, though, and have lobed toes like coots. Grebes (and loons) have their legs set way back for more power swimming, large (almost reptilian) lungs for longer underwater foraging and long necks for snagging fish. This is the Horned Grebe of the East with a whiter throat than Texas’s Eared Grebe.

The common, widespread grebe is the Pied-billed, although this winter plumaged bird almost lacks the black that makes the beak “black and white (pied). Their brown color helps them hide in freshwater lakes and their small size allows them to live in areas with less food then other, larger species require. These nest over much of the Lower 48.

This was a deer crossing warning sign at St. Mark’s NWR near Tallahassee, and somebody had some fun with it. In fact, when I was still a ways off, I noticed something “rude off” in the distance. I didn’t slow down, though, because I decided to pass the buck. And like my lame jokes, this beast hardly has a leg to stand on. A new year, and a whole new set of stupid jokes… 😉