Pictured above is a male American Widgeon, Mareca americana. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the family Anatidae-the ducks, geese, and swans. The surface feeding ducks or dabbling ducks as they are sometimes called feed by dipping their heads underwater to reach water plants and seeds they consume. Sometimes people call this duck Baldpate which refers to the white patch on the top of their head. Their black eyepatch turns into a iridescent green ear patch. When you couple these characters with a skyblue upper bill, you have a easily identified duck.

The photo above shows 3 ducks. You would think by proximity that you have a mated pair of American Widgeons being followed by some other duck. You would be wrong. The American Widgeon is by himself and the female Gadwall next to him is being pursued by a suitor of her species. Gadwalls are another member of Anatinae and their scientific name is Anas strepera.

In the image above, you see 5 ducks. The sleeping duck in the background may be a Readhead, Aythya americana who belongs to the diving duck tribe Aythyini of the Anatidae family. He is not important to this story so he can be ignored.

In the middle of the image, from left to right, you are seeing 2 male American Widgeons, 1 female American Widgeon, and a male Gadwall. I included this picture to show how a female American Widgeon looks. The female is uniformly reddish brown on the breast and her head has a grayish cast to it. Her bill, like the male’s, is light blue on top. Also take note of the males’ ear patches, because of the angle of the light they look bluish black instead of their usual flashy green.

This image also shows that lots of species of ducks share the same habitat and this can provide the viewer with some spectacular choices of beautifully colored birds. It also reminds us of the need for preserving habitat if we want to keep these species in our lives and on our planet.

The post American Widgeons, Gadwalls, And A Sleepy Redhead appeared first on GJM Nature Media.

In the next image, Two males and two females are seen paddling along together. The beaks of all of these individuals have grey mud on them which makes their black beaks look different than normal. Note the male on the right has gray mud stuck to his forehead which also confounds identification. However, the white shoulders and backs of the males and their deep chestnut heads and red eyes makes these unmistakably Canvasback ducks. The females are similar in markings but more muted in head color and mottled on the shoulder and back.

In the third image, 3 males and two females are dabbling for food. Notice the female on the right who is filtering with her beak. Also, her head is covered in mud up past her eyes which shows the depth they will penetrate into the bottom mud for food.

The final image shows a flock of feeding Canvasbacks many with mud far up on their heads. You can see the cherry red eye of the male in the center of the photo.

Currently there are less than a million of these birds in North America. If you go to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s report, you will see that this species’s population has had its ups and downs since 1955 and is currently on the increase. The 2016 population of Canvasbacks is 26 % higher than the long term average size of its population. This is a good thing and is the result of a 100 year conservation effort by the United States and Canada under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to monitor, manage, and promote the conservation of migratory waterfowl and their habitats. Without these activities, we wouldn’t have these beautiful creatures to enjoy. For more information, visit Flyways.us.

The post 736000 Canvasback Ducks In North America, Is That Enough? appeared first on GJM Nature Media.