American Black Duck

Mallard

Wood Duck

American Black Duck
Anas rubripes

The American Black Duck is one of the only ducks in which both sexes have almost identical plumage: sooty brown on the body and crown and a lighter brown on the neck and rest of the head, with a dark stripe through the eye. In flight, the flashing white wing linings contrast sharply with the rest of its dark wings and body. The speculum (wing patch) is an iridescent purplish-blue.  During the breeding season, the adult male has a yellow bill and often bright red feet, while the adult female has an olive green bill and olive-colored feet. 

The species' diet varies widely depending on the habitat and may consist mainly of plant food (the seeds and other parts of aquatic plants, wild berries, cereal grains, etc.) or animal prey (small mollusks, amphipods, etc.). Ducklings feed mainly on insect larvae and other invertebrates, but, consume a greater proportion of seeds of aquatic plants as they grow older.

Video

The male can be recognized by its distinctive glossy green head, white neck band and rusty colored breast. The female is a mottled brown. Both sexes share a blue speculum (a bright blue rectangle of color) and a white bar on both sides at the hind end of the wing where it joins the body. The male has very curly tail feathers and bright orange feet. Mallards can range in size from 20-28 inches long with a wingspan reaching between 30 and 40 inches. The male is larger than the female. This is most noticeable when they are out of the water.

Mallards are known as "surface feeding" ducks because they dip and dabble in the shallows of fresh and salt water marshes. They do not usually dive below the surface, except that young birds or molting (flightless) adults sometimes dive to avoid danger. Mallards are agile fliers who can take off almost vertically. The Mallard is a wide ranging duck and it is the most abundant duck in the Mississippi Valley. Its numbers are increasing in the East.

Wood duck

This duck is mostly found in fresh water swamps.  However, sometimes it can be found in Wood County either in migration or in domestication.  They are found in trees where they nest and occupy most of their time.  In appearance this species is mottled (meaning the male looks entirely different to the female) and small.  The male has a green head and back with a well defined crest.  The female has a gray head and brown back with a well defined crest.  The wood duck makes a whistling sound that is well distinguished by hunters.

For many, the wood duck drake is the most beautiful North American duck. An iridescent crested head, red eyes, and red and white bill, chestnut breast, golden flanks and iridescent back all contribute to its dashing looks. The female is a drab version of the male but is nonetheless more striking than any other duck hen. Dabblers or surface feeders, wood ducks nest in tree cavities. But since they cannot make their own cavities, they depend on tree diseases, fire scars, lightning, and cavity-making birds like the pileated woodpecker for nest sites. They also use man-made nest boxes. They arrive in the latter part of April and leave after the first severe frost