Every Sunday for a while we’re going to have a “guess the duck species” photos, so that you can learn some of the duck species of North America. The photos were all taken by evolutionary geneticist John Avise from the University of California, Irvine. The identification of the duck as well as an interesting Duck Fact is below the fold.
Try to guess before looking, though.
Click on “read more” for the answer:
Answer: Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
This small diving duck can be recognized even from afar by its habit of holding its tail cocked upward at a sharp angle when swimming or resting on the surface of an open bay or pond. Breeding males in their “alternate” plumage and bright blue bill look very different from those in non-breeding (“basic” or “winter”) condition.
JAC: Here’s the range map from the Cornell site:
Wild guess – pin tail?
My favorite duck species! I love Ruddy Ducks so much I had a goat I named “Ruddy Duck”.
We used to see these delightful little ducks on the lochs nearby but as they are not native they were all shot, sadly.
They were introgressing with your native White Headed Ducks.
They seem to have more of a smirk than a smile.
I had no idea and couldn’t even guess.
The last duck photo looks very platypus-like.