1. Waterfowl Identification

2. Blue Winged Teal Raspy quackDrake has white mask Small fast flyingEarly arrival

3. Cinnamon Teal Not found in Central Flyway Red eye on Drake Rare in this area

4. Green Winged Teal Most common teal in this area Whistle rather than quack Fast and smallest teal

5. Black Duck Yellow beak separates it from the mallard hen Dark underside Rare in this area

6. Wigeon Whistling drake and quaking hen White wing patch/stomach that flashes in flight

7. Pintail (sprigs) Pointed black tail is called a sprig Big, smart whistling duck Big slow wing span

8. Gadwall (gray duck) White wing patch next to body Don’t like cold weather Short choppy quack

9. Mallard (greenhead) Yellow beak and orange feet Loud quack Have been domesticated Blue wing patch Most common

10. Wood duck Must have standing timber to nest Feed in flooded timber Most colorful Were endangered

11. Shoveler (spoonbil) Nasty mud inhabitants Huge bill Very common

12. Muscovy Commonly domesticated See around residential areas Red globs on head

13. Ruddy Diver Short, wide blue beak Erect tail on water

14. Canvasback Diver and big duck Not common in our area Fastest duck Pointed bill

15. Scoter Diver that runs on top of water for a long distance before flight. No good to eat Common in area

16. Hooded Merganser More of a Northern duck (rare this far south) Raised feathers on top of head

17. Redhead Migrate to S. Texas coast Blue bill with dark tip Gray body Drakes “meow” like a distressed cat

18. Canada Goose (Honkers) Largest goose Greater on East coast is bigger than Lesser found from Mississippi Flyway and west Like cold weather Hens/Drakes same

19. Snow Goose Most common in this area Blue phase is usually immature snow Love crop residue Roost on water

20. Specklebelly Goose Called “white Fronted” Second most common in this area Will fly with snows

21. Whooping crane Protected (less than 300 left in the wild) Migrate to Aransas, Tx. each year Largest waterfowl Feed on Aquatic

22. Cormorant Hated by fisherman because they feed on game fish

23. Snipe Shoreline bird with very long beak They are a game bird that is “good” to eat

24. Pelican Huge bill for scooping up water and fish to eat. Common around fish cleaning stations

25. Heron Common shore bird Not a game bird

26. Seagull Not a game bird

27. Egret Another shore bird Not a game bird

28. Sandhill Crane Feed on pastures and green fields “Excellent” to eat