The main wintering area Is the lower Mississippi basin, and along the gulf coast, but many stay as far north as open waters permits. Feeds in early morning and late afternoon in nearby harvested fields, returning to marshes and creeks to spend the night.
Flocks often varying sized groups from small to large.
Hens have a loud quack; the drake's voice is a low-pitched kwek-kwek.
The long neck and tail make them appear longer than mallards, but in body size and weight they are smaller. A long neck and tail make them appear longer than mallards, but in body size and weight they are smaller. Agile on land and often feed in grain fields.
Extremely graceful and fast fliers, fond of zig-zagging from great heights before leveling off to land.
The drakes whistle; the hens have a coarse quack.
Quite hardy- some birds stay as far north as open water is found. The smallest and one of the most common of our ducks. Their tiny size gives the impression of great speed, but mallards can fly faster. They nest as far north as Alaska, early fall drakes are usually still In full eclipse plumage.
Flight is low, Erratic with entire flock twisting and turning as one unit.
Drakes whistle and twitter; hens have a slight quack.
Primarily the Atlantic Flyway and, to a lesser extent, the Mississippi. Shy and wary, regarded as the wariest of all ducks. Often seen In company of mallards, but along the Atlantic coast frequents the salt marshes and ocean much more than mallards. White wing lining in contrast to very dark body plumage is a good identification clue.
Flight is swift small flocks.
The hen's quack and the drake's kwek-kwek are duplicates of the mallards.
Most numerous in the Central Flyway, but not too common anywhere. They are one of the earliest migrants, seldom facing cold weather. They are the only puddle ducks with a white speculum.
Small, compact f locks fly swiftly, usually in a direct line. Wingbeats are rapid.
Drakes whistle and kack·kack; hens quack like a mallard, but softer.
Nervous birds, quick to take alarm. When open water is handy, wigeons often raft up offshore until late afternoon when they move to marshes and ponds to feed. The white belly and forewing are very showy In the air.
Their flight is fast, irregular, with many twists and turns. In a bunched flock, their movements have been compared to those of pigeons.
Drakes whistle: wewe-who, Hens have a loud kaow and a lower qua-awk.
Early migrants, moving out at the first frost. The usual flight is steady and direct. - They are not highly regarded as table birds, because one third of the usual diet is animal matter.
When startled, the small flocks twist and turn in the air like teal.
Drakes call woh·woh and took-took; the hen's quack Is feeble
They are more vocal than most ducks. These teal are among the first ducks to migrate each fall, and one of the last In the spring.
Their small size and twisting turning flight gives the illusion of great speed. The small, compact flocks commonly fly low over the marshes, and often take the hunter by surprise.
High pitched peeping and nasal quacking Is commonly heard In spring and to a lesser extent In fall.
The hens look alike and the habits of both species Blue Wing and Cinnamon are similar. The pale blue forewing patch is the best field mark, as drakes are usually In eclipse until January or longer.
Drakes have a whistling peep; hens utter a low quack.
Early migrants; most of them have left the northern States by mid-November. Frequents wooded streams and ponds; perches in trees. Often feeds on acorns, berries, and grapes on the forest floors.
Flight is swifth and direct, Flies through thick timber with speed and ease, Small flocks
Their wings make a rustling, swishing sound. Drakes call hoo-w-ett, often In flight; hens have a cr-r-ek when frightened.
Normally late to start south. . Their wingbeat is rapid and noisy; their speed is the swiftest of all our ducks. Hen Drake Feeding behavior is highly variable. In some areas they feed at night and spend the day rafted up in open waters; in other areas they feed Inshore mornings and evenings. On the water, body size and head shape distinguish them from scaups and redheads.
Migrate in lines and Irregular V's. In feeding areas, compact flocks fly in indefinite formations.
Drakes croak, peep, and growl; hens have a mallard· like quack. When committed into lakes from migration can sound like Jets buzzing the tower.
Largest number in Cental flyway but found coast to coast. Usually spend the day In large rafts in deep water; feed morning and evening in shallower sections.
Migratory flocks travel in V's; move In Irregular formations over feeding areas. Often found associating with canvasback. In the air, they give the Impression of always being in a hurry.
Drakes purr and meow; hens have a loud squak, higher than a hen mallard's.
Similar in appearance to scaups, but more often found in fresh marshes and wooded ponds. In flight, the dark wings are different from the whlte·edged wings of scaup. Faint brown ring on drake's neck never shows in the field; light bands at tip and base of bill are conspicuous.
Fly as small flocks in open formation; often land without circling.
Drakes purr hens are usually silent
Except for the wing marks, greater and lesser scaup appear nearly Identical In the field. The light band near the trailing edges of the wings runs almost to the tip in the greater scaup, but only about half way In the lesser. Greater scaup prefer large open water areas. Both species migrate late, sometimes just before freezeup.
Flock movements are rapid, often erratic, usually In compact groups.
Hens are silent: drake greater scaup have a discordant scaup, scaup.
Both Species These are active, strong-winged fliers. generally move south late In the season; most of them winter on coastal waters and the Great Lakes. Inland, they like rapids and fast water. Hens of both species are look alikes.
Moving singly or in small flocks often high in the air.
Distinctive wing-whistling sound In flight has earned the name of whistlers. Drakes have a piercing speer-speer-hens a low quack. Both are usually quiet.
Both Species These are active, strong-winged fliers. generally move south late In the season; most of them winter on coastal waters and the Great Lakes. Inland, they like rapids and fast water. Barrow's goldeneye, predominantly a westener, is less wary than the common goldeneye. Hens of both species are look alikes.
Moving singly or in small flocks often high in the air.
Distinctive wing-whistling sound In flight has earned the name of whistlers. Drakes have a piercing speer-speer-hens a low quack. Both are usually quiet.
Stragglers migrate south in mid-fall, but the largest numbers move just ahead of freezeup. Unlike most divers, they can fly straight up from a watery takeoff. Largest concentrations are on both seacoasts and along the Gulf of Mexico. Inland, they will remain as far north as open water permits.
Most flocks in feeding areas are small-5 or 6 birds, with more hens and immatures than adult drakes. Very small size, bold black and white color pattern, and low, swift flight are field marks.
Usually silent. Drakes squeak and have a guttural note; hens quack weakly.
The ruddy duck often dives or swims away from danger rather than flying. They are early to mid-fall migrants. Drakes often cock their tails upright at an angle, the only species to habitually do so.
When flying, their small wings stroke so fast they resemble bumblebees.
Both hens and drakes are silent in the fall.
This species is larger than the red·breasted merganser, and is one of the largest of our ducks. It is one of the last to migrate south, and Is more common than the red·breasted merganser on inland waters.
Flocks move in "follow the leader" style, low over the water.
The only call seems to be a startled croak.
These birds winter most abundantly In coastal waters, including the Gulf of Mexico, and to a lesser extent, the Great Lakes.
Their flight, strong and direct, Is usually low over the water. They are difficult to distinguish In flight from the common merganser.
Voice: Seldom heard.
"There are two species of whistling ducks the Fulvous and the Black-Bellied. Both species are primarily Mexican. . In the U.S., the black-bellied is found only In south Texas and Louisiana. The fulvous also occurs there and in Florida with occasional stragglers further north along both coasts and the Mississippi Valley. The fulvous is the more common of the two species In the United States. Sexes are alike."
The trailing legs and rounded wings of these slow flying ducks makes them look bigger than they are.
Both Species have shrill whistling calls.
Often seen in pairs, or very small flocks, Winters in the inland waters of all coastal States; seldom goes to salt water.
Short rapid wingstrokes create an impression of great speed.
Voice: Seldom heard in the fall.
Thick necked stocky birds Occuring on the pacific in the United States chiefly along New England coasts and occasionally south to New Jersey. Other eiders-king, spectacled and Stellar's-occur in Alaska and are not pictured in this guide. King eiders occasionally are found in north Atlantic coastal waters.
Alternately flapping and sailing in flight; flocks string out in a line, close to the water.
A slim, brightly plumaged sea duck. Smaller than the scoters or eiders
Flight is swift and low with constantly changing flock formations. Ranges along both coasts and the Great Lakes
One of the most vocal of ducks; drakes have a loud pleasant caloo, caloo,constantly heard.
These Sea ducks sea winter on open coastal waters. White-wings are among the heaviest and largest of all ducks. Drakes can be distinguished from other seaters by two white patches on their head and the bright color of the bill.
Like all scoters, these birds move along our coasts in loose f locks, stringing into irregular, wavy lines. Flight Is strong, direct, usually close to the waves.
These Sea ducks sea winter on open coastal waters. Scoters feed on mollusks, crabs and some fish and very little vegetation. They are locally known as "coots"
In flight, drakes appear all black except for the flash of the slight gray underwing and the bright yellow swelling at the base of the upper bill.
Glossy slate-blue plumage enlivened by white stripes and spots give the adult male harlequin a striking appearance. The female resembles a small female scoter. At a distance, both sexes look black. Ranges both coasts, north from New Jersey and San Francisco. Uncommon.
Flight Is swift, with abrupt turns. Flocks are small and compact.
Once thought to be rare, trumpeter swans are slowly increasing in Alaska and on western refuges and parks. They winter near Chesapeake Bay, San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound and Salton Sea. Occasionally found in fields.
Both species are large with pure white plumage.
Tundra swans are common and increasing. They winter near Chesapeake Bay, San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound and Salton Sea. Occasionally found in fields.
Both species are large with pure white plumage.
Numerous and popular, Canada geese are often called "honkers." Includes several races varying in weight from 3 to over 12 pounds. All have black heads and necks, white cheeks, similar habitats and voices. Sexes are identical.
Migration in small groups to thousands. Cupping wings upon landing, Maple leafing in groups to drop elevation.
Moan, Honk, Cluck
These are sea geese, the blacks wintering south to Baja, California, in the Pacific. The Atlantic race winters from Virginia northward.
Flight is swift, in irregular and changing flock patterns.
Two races of snow geese are recognized: greater snows along the Atlantic Coast, and lesser snows elsewhere on the continent. Blue geese are a color phase of the lesser snow.
Flocking in thousands, seen tornadoing down while migrating.
Migrates chiefly in the Central and Pacific flyways but also present in the Mississippi. Rare in the Atlantic Flyway. Appears brownish gray at a distance. Ross Goose falls under white fronted Goose
Distinctive characteristic of the V-shaped flocks.
High pitched call kow-kow-kow-kow.