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duck id help

3K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  Jofa 
#1 ·
I saw a duck yesterday, central zone, black head, white body, and red bill?
 
#4 ·
if it was a common Merganser I would not be asking for ID help, I looked at a Shelduck and thats not what it looked like.

I am sorry I did not have a camera but I did have binoculars and saw clearly it had a black head and neck, white body and red bill.
That really doesn't sound like a Merganser to me.
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
Black head, white body, red bill, black primaries:

bCommonMergansers.jpg


There are only a couple black and white "wild" ducks common to our area: Common Merganser, Bufflehead, Goldeneye, Eider, Scaup, Ringneck. Only two of these are Mallard size. The only black and white ducks with red bills I've seen lately have been Common Mergansers. I guess it's possible you saw some kind of "farm duck" or "farm duck hybrid".
 

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#12 ·
Of course, A chicken duck i should have known.

I did go through DU and Audubon's id pics before I posted, so I wouldn't waste peoples time. I new this was going to be difficult. I am not new to ducks, been hunting ME, NH, and MA for many years.
 
#13 ·
kwood said:
Of course, A chicken duck i should have known.

I did go through DU and Audubon's id pics before I posted, so I wouldn't waste peoples time. I new this was going to be difficult. I am not new to ducks, been hunting ME, NH, and MA for many years.
just having fun my man, not questioning your hunting experience or anything else.

Its certainly difficult to id a bird without a photo. i bought this coffee table book a while back for just this same purpose. it has a lot of great pics that you dont see in the regular identification books. i think its intended audience was decoy carvers, but i found it had great images for us hunters trying to id birds as well.

good luck

 
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