1. Waterfowl Comparative Sizes

2. Eclipse Plumage Most ducks shed body feathers 2x / year. Most drakes lose bright plumage after mating & resemble females - few weeks. Wing feathers shed only once a year,wing colors always the same.

3. Wing Features

4. Ducks at a Distance Differences in: Size Shape Plumage patterns and colors Wing beat Flocking behavior Voice Male Drake – Female Hen

5. Puddle Ducks Shallow marshes and rivers Feed by dabbling or tipping Speculum-irridescent or bright May feed in crop fields - diet mostly vegetable Take off more upright

6. Puddle Ducks Mallard Pintail Gadwall American Wigeon Shoveler Blue-winged Teal Green-winged Teal Wood Duck Black Duck

7. Puddle Ducks

8. Diving Ducks Larger,deeper lakes,rivers & coastal bays Colored speculums not as brilliant Huge, paddle feet often visible on flying bird. Patter along top of water to get airborne. Dive to feed & escape.

9. Diving Ducks Cont. Eat fish, shellfish, mollusks, & aquatic plants 2 nd choice for eating. Wings smaller in proportion to size & weight of bodies More rapid wing beat than puddle ducks.

10. Diving Ducks Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Goldeneye Bufflehead Ruddy Duck Common Merganser Hooded Merganser

11. Diving Ducks

12. Geese vs Ducks The legs and neck are long in proportion to the body.

13. Geese Canadian Snow

14. Swan Swans usually mate for life typically between 3–8 eggs. Young swans are known as cygnets Male and female adults are known as cob and pen. The Northern Hemisphere species of swan all have pure white plumage

15. Trumpeter Swan

16. Common Loon Loons swim well, and fly adequately Bones denser than most birds Almost hopeless on land. Locate prey underwater by sight, so prefer lakes with clear water. Loons can live as long as 30 years. Spear-shaped bill. Haunting, yodeling cry

17. Loon Sounds http://www.wildlifevid eo.com/loon.htmlhttp://www.wildlifevid eo.com/loon.html

18. This resource should be cited as: Hines, Robert W. No Date. Ducks at a distance: A waterfowl identification guide. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Natural and Cultural Heritage Association, Albuquerque, NM. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/res ource/tools/duckdist/duckdist. htm (Version 04NOV97).