Ducks at a Distance
A Waterfowl Identification Guide
By Bob Hines
Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Washington, D.C. 1978
[Transcribers Note: Table of Contents added by transcriber]
Table of Contents
Identification is Important
What to Look For
Eclipse Plumage
Species Identification:
Puddle Ducks
Mallard
Pintail
Gadwall
Wigeon
Shoveler
Blue-Winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Green-Winged Teal
Wood Duck
Black Duck
Diving Ducks
Canvasback
Redheads
Ringneck
Scaup
Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Ruddy
Red-Breasted Merganser
Common Merganser
Hooded Merganser
Whistling Ducks
White-Winged Scoter
Surf Scoter
Black Scoter
Common Eider
Oldsquaw
Harlequin
Swans
Canada Geese
Brant
Snow
White-Fronted Geese
At a Glance Guide
Comparative Sizes Of Waterfowl
Wetlands Attract Wildlife
Administrative Waterfowl Flyways
Identification is Important
Identifying waterfowl gives many hours of enjoyment
to millions of people. This guide will help you
recognize birds on the wing—it emphasizes their fall
and winter plumage patterns as well as size,
shape, and flight characteristics. It does not include
local names.
Recognizing the species of ducks and geese can be
rewarding to birdwatchers and hunters—and the ducks.
Hunters can contribute to their own sport by not
firing at those species that are either protected or
scarce, and needed as breeders to restore the flocks.
It can add to their daily limit; when extra birds of
certain species can be taken legally, hunters who
know their ducks on the wing come out ahead.
Knowing a mallard from a merganser has another
side: gourmets prefer a corn-fed mallard to the fish
duck.
What to Look For
Differences in size, shape, plumage patterns and
colors, wing beat, flocking behavior, voice, and habitat—all
help to distinguish one species from another.
Flock maneuvers in the air are clues. Mallards, pintails,
and wigeon form loose groups; teal and shovelers
flash by in small, compact bunches; at a distance,
canvasbacks shift from waving lines to temporary V’s.
Closer up, individual silhouettes are important.
Variations of head shapes and sizes, lengths of wings
and tails, and fat bodies or slim can be seen.
Within shotgun range, color areas can be important. Light
conditions might make them look different, but their size
and location are positive keys. The sound of their wings can
help as much as their calls. Flying goldeneyes make a
whistling sound; wood ducks move with a swish;
canvasbacks make a steady rushing sound. Not all ducks
quack; many whistle, squeal, or grunt.
Although not a hard and fast rule, different species
tend to use different types of habitat. Puddle ducks
like shallow marshes and creeks while divers prefer
larger, deeper, and more open waters.
Eclipse Plumage
Drake: Spring Plumage
Hen
Drake: Full Eclipse
Drakes Emerging from Eclipse
Most ducks shed their body
feathers twice each year.
Nearly all drakes lose their
bright plumage after mating, and for
a few weeks resemble females. This
hen-like appearance is called the
eclipse plumage. The return to
breeding coloration varies
in species and individuals of each
species. Blue-winged teal and shovelers may
retain the eclipse plumage until
well into the winter.
Wing feathers are shed only once
a year; wing colors are always
the same.
Drake: Fall Plumage
Puddle Ducks
Puddle ducks are typically birds of fresh, shallow
marshes and rivers rather than of large lakes and bays.
They are good divers, but usually feed by dabbling
or tipping rather than submerging.
The speculum, or colored wing patch, is generally
iridescent and bright, and often a telltale field mark.
Any duck feeding in croplands will likely be a puddle
duck, for most of this group are sure-footed and can
walk and run well on land. Their diet is mostly
vegetable, and grain-fed mallards or pintails or
acorn-fattened wood ducks are highly regarded
as food.
Mallard
Length—24″
Weight—2¾ lbs.
Hen
The mallard is our most common duck, found in all
flyways. The males are often called “greenheads.” The
main wintering area is the lower Mississippi basin,
and along the gulf coast, but many stay as far north
as open waters permits.
Hen
Drake
Drake
Hen
Hen
Flocks often feed in early
morning and late afternoon in
nearby harvested fields,
returning to marshes and
creeks to spend the night.
The flight is not particularly
rapid. Hens have a loud quack;
the drake’s voice is a
low-pitched kwek-kwek.
Typical Flock Pattern
Pintail
Length—26″
Weight—1¾ lbs.
Hen
These ducks use all four flyways, but are most
plentiful in the west.
They are extremely graceful and fast fliers, fond of
zig-zagging from great heights before leveling
off to land.
The long neck and tail make them appear longer
than mallards, but in body size and weight
they are smaller.
Hen
Drake
Drake
Hen
Hen
They are agile on land and
often feed in grain fields. The
drakes whistle; the hens have
a coarse quack.
Typical Flock Pattern
Gadwall
Length—21″
Weight—2 lbs.
Hen
Gadwalls are most numerous in the Central Flyway,
but not too common anywhere. They are often called
“gray mallards” or “gray ducks.” They are one of the
earliest migrants, seldom facing cold weather.
They are the only puddle ducks with a white
speculum.
Hen
Drake
Drake
Hen
Hen
Small, compact flocks fly
swiftly, usually in a direct line.
Wingbeats are rapid.
Drakes whistle and kack-kack;
hens quack like a mallard, but
softer.
Typical Flock Pattern
Wigeon
Length—21″
Weight—1¾ lbs.
Hen
These are nervous birds, quick to take alarm. Their
flight is fast, irregular, with many twists and turns. In
a bunched flock, their movements have been
compared to those of pigeons.
When open water is handy, wigeons often
raft up offshore until late afternoon when they
move to marshes and ponds to feed.
Drake
Drake
Hen
Hen
The white belly and forewing
are very showy in the air.
Drakes whistle; hens have a
loud kaow and a lower
qua-awk.
Typical Flock Pattern
Shoveler
Length—19½”
Weight—1½ lbs.
Hen
Shovelers, ‘spoonbills’ to many, are early migrants, moving
out at the first frost. The largest numbers are in the Central
and Pacific flyways.
The usual flight is steady and direct. When startled,
the small flocks twist and turn in the air like teal.
Hen
Drake
Drake
Hen
Hen
They are not highly regarded
as table birds, because one
third of the usual diet is
animal matter.
Drakes call woh-woh and
took-took; the hen’s quack
is feeble.
Typical Flock Pattern
Blue-Winged Teal
Length—16″
Weight—15 oz.
Eclipse Drake
Hen
Hen
Their small size and twisting
turning flight gives the
illusion of great speed. The
small, compact flocks
commonly fly low over the
marshes, and often take the
hunter by surprise.
They are more vocal than most
ducks—their high-pitched
peeping and nasal quacking is
commonly heard in spring and
to a lesser extent in fall.
These teal are among the first
ducks to migrate each fall, and
one of the last in the spring.
Hen
Drake
Cinnamon Teal
Eclipse Drake
Blue-Winged Drake
Hen
Hen
In the Pacific Flyway, cinnamon
teal are far more common than
blue-wings. The hens look
alike and the habits of both
species are similar.
The pale blue forewing patch
is the best field mark, as drakes
are usually in eclipse until
January or longer.
Drakes have a whistling peep;
hens utter a low quack.
Typical Flock Pattern
Green-Winged Teal
Length—15 in.
Weight—14 oz.
Hen
Quite hardy—some birds stay as far north as open
water is found.
The smallest and one of the most common of our
ducks. Their tiny size gives the impression of great
speed, but mallards can fly faster. Their flight is often
low, erratic, with the entire flock twisting and turning
as one unit.
Hen
Drake
Drake
Hen
Hen
They nest as far north as Alaska,
and migrate in all four
flyways. Early fall drakes are
usually still in full eclipse
plumage.
Drakes whistle and twitter;
hens have a slight quack.
Typical Flock Pattern
Wood Duck
Length—18½ in.
Weight—1½ lbs.
Hen
Found in all flyways; most numerous in the Atlantic
and Mississippi flyways and fewest in the Central.
They are early migrants; most of them have left the
northern States by mid-November.
Frequents wooded streams and ponds; perches in
trees. Flies through thick timber with speed and ease
and often feeds on acorns, berries, and grapes on the
forest floors.
Hen
Drake
Drake
Hen
Hen
Flight is swift and direct;
flocks are usually small.
In the air, their wings make a
rustling, swishing sound.
Drakes call hoo-w-ett, often in
flight; hens have a cr-r-ek
when frightened.
Typical Flock Pattern
Black Duck
Length—24 in.
Weight—2¾ lbs.
Hen
Drake
Similar Sexes
Typical Flock Pattern
A bird of the eastern States,
primarily the Atlantic Flyway and,
to a lesser extent, the Mississippi.
Shy and wary, regarded as the
wariest of all ducks.
Often seen in company of
mallards, but along the Atlantic
coast frequents the salt marshes
and ocean much more than mallards.
Flight is swift, usually in
small flocks.
White wing lining in contrast to
very dark body plumage is a good
identification clue.
The hen’s quack and the drake’s
kwek-kwek are duplicates of the
mallards.
Hen
Drake
Diving Ducks
Diving ducks frequent the larger, deeper lakes and
rivers, and coastal bays and inlets.
The colored wing patches of these birds lack the
brilliance of the speculums of puddle ducks. Since
many of them have short tails, their huge, paddle feet
may be used as rudders in flight, and are often
visible on flying birds. When launching into flight,
most of this group patter along the water before
becoming airborne.
They feed by diving, often to considerable depths. To
escape danger, they can travel great distances
underwater, emerging only enough to show their
head before submerging again.
Their diets of fish, shellfish, mollusks, and aquatic
plants make them second choice, as a group, for
sportsmen. Canvasbacks and redheads fattened on
eel grass or wild celery are notable exceptions.
Since their wings are smaller in proportion to the size
and weight of their bodies, they have a more rapid
wingbeat than puddle ducks.
Feeding
Landing
Canvasback
Length—22 in.
Weight—3 lbs.
Eclipse Drake
Normally late to start south, canvasbacks migrate in
lines and irregular V’s.
In feeding areas, compact flocks fly in indefinite
formations. Their wingbeat is rapid and noisy; their
speed is the swiftest of all our ducks.
Hen
Drake
Drake
Hen
Hen
Feeding behavior is highly
variable. In some areas they
feed at night and spend the day
rafted up in open waters; in
other areas they feed inshore
mornings and evenings.
On the water, body size and
head shape distinguish them
from scaups and redheads.
Drakes croak, peep, and
growl; hens have a mallard-like
quack.
Typical Flock Pattern
Redheads
Length—20 in.
Weight—2½ lbs.
Hen
Range coast to coast, with the largest numbers in the
Central Flyway. Migratory flocks travel in V’s; move
in irregular formations over feeding areas. Often
found associating with canvasback.
In the air, they give the impression of always being in
a hurry.
Hen
Drake
Drake
Hen
Hen
Usually spend the day in large
rafts in deep water; feed
morning and evening in
shallower sections.
Drakes purr and meow; hens
have a loud squak, higher than
a hen mallard’s.
Typical Flock Pattern
Ringneck
Length—17 in.
Weight—2½ lbs.
Hen
Similar in appearance to scaups, but more often found
in fresh marshes and wooded ponds. In flight, the
dark wings are different from the white-edged wings
of scaup.
Faint brown ring on drake’s neck never shows in the
field; light bands at tip and base of bill are
conspicuous.
Hen
Drake
Drake
Hen
Hen
Fly as small flocks in open
formation; often land without
circling. Drakes purr; hens are
usually silent.
Typical Flock Pattern
Scaup
Greater—Length—18½ in.
Weight—2 lbs.
Lesser—Length—17 in.
Weight—1-7/8 lbs.
Hen
Hen
Drake
Hen
Drake
Except for the wing marks, greater and lesser scaup
appear nearly identical in the field.
The light band near the trailing edges of the wings
runs almost to the tip in the greater scaup, but only
about half way in the lesser.
Greater scaup prefer large open water areas; lesser
scaup often use marshes and ponds.
Lesser Scaup Drake
Drake
Hen
Drake
Hen
Drake
Hen
Both species migrate late,
sometimes just before freezeup.
Flock movements are rapid,
often erratic, usually in
compact groups.
Hens are silent; drake lesser
scaup purr; drake greater scaup
have a discordant scaup, scaup.
Typical Flock Pattern
Goldeneye
Common—Length—19 in.
Weight—2¼ lbs.
Barrow’s—Length—19 in.
Weight—2¾ lbs.
Common Eclipse Drake
These are active, strong-winged fliers moving singly
or in small flocks, often high in the air. Distinctive
wing-whistling sound in flight has earned the name
of whistlers.
Goldeneyes generally move south late in the season;
most of them winter on coastal waters and the Great
Lakes. Inland, they like rapids and fast water.
Common
Hen | Drake
Hen | Drake
Common Drake
Hen
Hen
Barrow’s goldeneye,
predominantly a Westerner, is
less wary than the common
goldeneye.
Hens of both species are
look-alikes.
Drakes have a piercing
speer-speer—hens a low
quack. Both are usually quiet.
Typical Flock Pattern
Bufflehead
Length—14½ in.
Weight—1 lb.
Eclipse Drake
Stragglers migrate south in mid-fall, but the largest
numbers move just ahead of freezeup. Most flocks in
feeding areas are small—5 or 6 birds, with more hens
and immatures than adult drakes.
Very small size, bold black and white color pattern,
and low, swift flight are field marks. Unlike most
divers, they can fly straight up from a watery takeoff.
Hen
Drake
Drake
Hen
Hen
Largest concentrations are on
both seacoasts and along the
Gulf of Mexico. Inland, they
will remain as far north as open
water permits.
Usually silent. Drakes squeak
and have a guttural note; hens
quack weakly.
Typical Flock Pattern
Ruddy
Length—15½ in.
Weight—1-1/3 lbs.
Winter Drake
Hen
The ruddy duck often dives or swims away
from danger rather than flying. When flying, their
small wings stroke so fast they resemble
bumblebees.
Sexes Similar
Summer Drake
Hen
Hen
They are early to mid-fall
migrants.
Drakes often cock their tails
upright at an angle, the only
species to habitually do so.
Both hens and drakes are
silent in the fall.
Typical Flock Pattern
Red-Breasted Merganser
Length—23 in.
Weight—2½ lbs.
Drake
Hen
Hen
Drake
Hen
Hen
These birds winter most
abundantly in coastal waters,
including the Gulf of Mexico,
and to a lesser extent, the
Great Lakes.
Their flight, strong and direct,
is usually low over the water.
They are difficult to distinguish
in flight from the common
merganser.
Voice: Seldom heard.
Typical Flock Pattern
Common Merganser
Length—25½ in.
Weight—2½ lbs.
Drake
Hen
Hen
Hen
This species is larger than the
red-breasted merganser, and is
one of the largest of our
ducks. It is one of the last to
migrate south, and is more
common than the red-breasted
merganser on inland waters.
Flocks move in “follow the
leader” style, low over the
water.
The only call seems to be a
startled croak.
Typical Flock Pattern
Hen and Drake Wing
Hooded Merganser
Length—18 in.
Weight—1½ lbs.
Drake
Hen
Hen
Hen
Often seen in pairs, or very
small flocks. Short rapid
wingstrokes create an
impression of great speed.
Winters in the inland waters of
all coastal States; seldom goes
to salt water.
Voice: Seldom heard in fall.
Hen
Drake
Whistling Ducks
Length—18-19 in.
Weight—1¾ lbs.
Black-Bellied
Fulvous
Black-Bellied
The trailing legs and rounded
wings of these slow flying
ducks makes them look bigger
than they are.
Both species are primarily
Mexican. In the U.S., the
black-bellied is found only in
south Texas and Louisiana. The
fulvous also occurs there and
in Florida with occasional
stragglers further north along
both coasts and the Mississippi
Valley. The fulvous is the more
common of the two species in
the United States.
Sexes are alike. Both species
have shrill whistling calls.
Fulvous
Black-Bellied
White-Winged Scoter
Length—21½ in.
Weight—3½ lbs.
Drake
Hen
The three scoters on these two pages are sea ducks,
wintering on open coastal waters. White-wings are
among the heaviest and largest of all ducks.
Surf Scoter
Length—19½ in.
Weight—2 lbs.
Drake
Hen
Like all scoters, these birds move along our coasts in
loose flocks, stringing into irregular, wavy lines. Drakes
can be distinguished from other scoters by two white
patches on their head and the bright color of the bill.
Flight is strong, direct, usually close to the waves.
Black Scoter
Length—19½ in.
Weight—2½ lbs.
Drake
Hen
In flight, drakes appear all black except for the flash
of the slight gray underwing and the bright yellow
swelling at the base of the upper bill.
Scoters feed on mollusks, crabs, and some fish and
very little vegetation. They are locally known as “coots.”
Common Eider
Length—23½ in.
Weight—5 lbs.
Drake
Hen
Thick-necked stocky birds, alternately flapping and
sailing in flight; flocks string out in a line, close to the
water. Occurs in the United States chiefly along New
England coasts and occasionally south to New Jersey.
Other eiders—king, spectacled and Stellar’s—occur in
Alaska and are not pictured in this guide. King eiders
occasionally are found in north Atlantic coastal waters.
Oldsquaw
Length—20½ in.
Weight—2 lbs.
Winter Drake
Winter Hen
A slim, brightly plumaged sea duck. Smaller than the
scoters or eiders.
Flight is swift and low with constantly changing flock
formations. Ranges along both coasts and the Great
Lakes.
One of the most vocal of ducks; drakes have a loud
pleasant caloo, caloo, constantly heard.
Harlequin
Length—17 in.
Weight—1½ lbs.
Eclipse Drake
Hen
Glossy slate-blue plumage enlivened by white stripes
and spots give the adult male harlequin a striking
appearance. The female resembles a small female
scoter. At a distance, both sexes look black. Flight is
swift, with abrupt turns. Flocks are small and compact.
Ranges both coasts, north from New Jersey and San
Francisco. Uncommon.
Swans
Trumpeter—Length—59 in.
Weight—28 lbs.
Whistling—Length—52 in.
Weight—16 lbs.
Immature: Both Species
Whistling
Once thought to be rare, trumpeter swans are slowly
increasing in Alaska and on western refuges and parks.
Whistling swans are common and increasing. They
winter near Chesapeake Bay, San Francisco Bay, Puget
Sound and Salton Sea. Occasionally found in fields.
Both species are large with pure white plumage.
Canada Geese
Numerous and popular, Canada
geese are often called “honkers.”
Includes several races varying in
weight from 3 to over 12 pounds.
All have black heads and necks, white cheeks,
similar habitats and voices. Sexes are identical.
Brant
Length—24-25 in.
Weight—3¼ – 3¾ lbs.
Brant
These are sea geese, the blacks
wintering south to Baja,
California, in the Pacific.
The Atlantic race winters from Virginia northward.
Flight is swift, in irregular and changing flock patterns.
Snow Geese
Length—29-31 in.
Weight—6½-7½ lbs.
Adult
Immature Blue
Adult Blue
Two races
of snow geese are
recognized: greater snows
along the Atlantic Coast, and
lesser snows elsewhere on the
continent. Blue geese are a
color phase of the lesser snow.
White-Fronted Geese
Length—29 in.
Weight—6¼ lbs.
Adult
Migrates chiefly in the Central and Pacific
flyways but also present in the Mississippi.
Rare in the Atlantic Flyway. Appears brownish
gray at a distance. Often called “specklebelly”.
Most distinctive characteristic of the V-shaped
flocks is the high pitched call kow-kow-kow-kow.
Comparative Sizes Of Waterfowl
All birds on
these pages
are drawn to
the same scale.
Wetlands Attract Wildlife
There’s more than just ducks in our marshes.
Knowing and identifying other birds and animals add
to the enjoyment of being in a blind.
The same sources of food and shelter that draw
waterfowl to ponds and marshes also attract other
forms of wildlife.
Protected species are sometimes more numerous than
ducks or geese.
Money from Duck Stamp sales is used exclusively to
purchase wetlands, preserving areas for ducks, geese,
and all wildlife for the enjoyment and pleasure of
hunters and non-hunters alike.
Blackbird
Ibis
Egret
White Pelican
Black Tern
Common Tern
Marsh Hawk
Herring Gull
Grebe
Dowitcher
Short-Eared Owl
Administrative Waterfowl Flyways
Pacific
Central
Mississippi
Atlantic
Waterfowl Flyways
The term “flyway” has long been
used to designate the migration routes of
birds. For management purposes, four
waterfowl flyways—Pacific, Central,
Mississippi, and Atlantic—were established in the
United States in 1948. To varying degrees the
waterfowl populations using each of these flyways
differ in abundance, species composition, migration
pathways, and breeding ground origin. There are
differences, also, in levels of shooting pressure and
harvest.
For the most part flyway boundaries follow State lines.
However, the boundary between the Pacific and the
Central flyway general follows the Continental Divide.
There are some problems in matching waterfowl
migration corridors with flyway boundaries because
some species nest and winter in areas that do not
occur along a north-south axis. These species cross
flyway boundaries during migration. On balance, the
present arrangement is useful in that it permits
reasonable management of waterfowl. At some future
time, it is possible that further rearrangement of
boundaries may permit better management of the
waterfowl resource.
Flyway Councils
In 1952, Flyway Councils were formed in each of the
four flyways. The Council in each flyway is made up
of representatives from the wildlife agencies of the
States in that flyway—one representative from each
State. The Councils study flyway problems, develop
waterfowl management recommendations, and
generally work closely with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service in implementing waterfowl
management and research programs.
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1978 O—247-777
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Created in 1849, the Department of the Interior—America’s
Department of Natural Resources—is concerned with the management,
conservation, and development of the Nation’s water,
fish, wildlife, mineral, forest, and park and recreational
resources. It also has major responsibilities for Indian and
Territorial affairs.
As the Nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department
works to assure that nonrenewable resources are developed
and used wisely, that park and recreational resources are conserved
for the future, and that renewable resources make their
full contribution to the progress, prosperity, and security of the
United States—now and in the future.