They breed mainly across far northern North America, so check the range map and look for them during migration and in winter, when they can form large flocks. Gray bill has white band and a black tip. The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds, birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation. Migration season provides some of the best bird watching opportunities, particularly for waterfowl. Medium-sized brownish duck with a tall, peaked head. Forms flocks, especially in winter and migration. Feeds on insects and crustaceans. Male, 25-29" (64-74 cm); female, 21-23" (53-58 cm). Canvasback. The male has a chestnut-coloured ring around its black neck that is barely visible when identifying birds from a distance; It has a black back, a white triangle in front of the folded wing, an angular head, white bars on the bill and uniformly dark wings Mallard: This medium-sized duck has a gray body, chestnut-brown breast, green head, white neck ring, yellow bill, wing speculum is white-bordered metallic purple-blue, white edged dark tail, two curled black feathers, and orange legs and feet. Male has shiny black upperparts, head, neck, and breast; gray sides. © Cory "Chia" Chiappone | Macaulay Library, See more images of this species in Macaulay Library. Ringneck (“Ringbill”) This small duck has a dark, peaked head and a white ring around the front of a blue-gray bill. Size - 19 inches. In flight, wings are dark with grayish, not white, wingstripe. At distance, look for this species’ distinctive, peaked head to help you identify it. Wood Duck - Aix sponsa Considered to be the most colorful duck in Florida, the Wood duck is a dabbler found primarily in swamps and marshes. The bill is slate with a faint white band near the tip. The neck, back, sides and flanks are brown and the belly is white. Both sexes have distinctive gray bill with white band and black tip. Females are rich brown with a delicate face pattern. Ringneck Duck. Northern Shoveler. Hen Blue speculum bordered with white Mottled brown body Orange bill Drake Blue speculum bordered with white Iridescent green head Dark brown breast American Black Duck Male and female black ducks are similar in size, flight, voice, and coloration to mallard hens. Adult males have a prominent white ring on the bill. Glossy ring around neck is very difficult to see. Mallard Mallards, or "greenheads," are Missouri's most common duck. In winter and on migration, this can include beaver ponds, small lakes, marshes, cattle ponds, or even flooded agricultural fields across North America. He was banded in 1964 in Louisiana and was shot in 1983, in Minnesota. Medium-sized diving duck with a peaked head. Ring-necked Ducks on their breeding grounds occasionally get attacked by the much larger Common Loon, the Red-necked Grebe, and even the much smaller Pied-billed Grebe. Even though this species dives for its food, you can find it in shallow wetlands such as beaver swamps, ponds, and bays. Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds. A duck has been saved by the RSPCA after getting stuck with a plastic ring around its neck. Hens have a loud quack; drakes give a lower-pitched kwek-kwek. ... Brown head and neck, white breast, and a tail longer than the female. The white ring around the tip of the gray bill and a similar ring around the bill’s base, however, are easier field marks to identify. Several hundred thousand congregate each fall on certain lakes in Minnesota to feed on wild rice. At distance, look for this species’ distinctive, peaked head to help you identify it. Difficult to identify in flight. The male Ring-necked Duck is a sharply marked bird of gleaming black, gray, and white. The shy ruddy duck who conceals itself in cattails…the fast-flying canvasback… or the boisterous Canada goose. Even though this species dives for its food, you can find it in shallow wetlands such as beaver swamps, ponds, and bays. Female ring-necked ducks have a brown head with a black crown, light brown cheeks and chin and a white eye ring. Medium-sized diving duck with a tall, peaked head and a white ring near the tip of the bill. A compact diving duck with a distinctive head shape—a sloping forehead and peaked rear crown. You can find Ring-necked Ducks in fairly small, shallow wetlands. 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