Duck Identification Chart - Full Colour illustrations and Descriptions

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You can find Buffleheads in small lakes and ponds with nearby poplar and aspen forests during the breeding season. In the winter, they move to protected coastal waters or shallow bays and inlets.

You can find Gadwalls in open wetlands, grasslands, and marshes with dense vegetation. In winter, you can see Gadwalls in saltwater marshes, city parks, reservoirs, and muddy estuaries.The female garganey is like the male in eclipse plumage but paler. There is an obvious white spot near the bill. Gadwalls breed in the plains of the United States and Canada before migrating to central and southern US states and Mexico. Some remain all year on the West Coast. Scientific Name: Aythya Fuligula Conservation Status: Green Population: 16,000 – 19,000 breeding pairs Found in Australia and New Guinea, this species has long, tan plumes on its flanks. It’s named for its whistling calls and is known to favor grasslands near water bodies.

Females have dark-brown heads, a white patch on their face next to their bills, gray sides, and are brown all over, and no extra tuft of hair on the head like the males. Females are dark and compact with a white cheek spot and a small bill. Some say that she has a “feather in her cap.” Scientific Name: Anas Platyrhynchos Conservation Status: Amber Population: 61,000 – 146,000 breeding pairs You can find White-winged Scoters in northern forests near freshwater lakes and wetlands during their breeding season. During the winter, they prefer the open ocean and coastal environments, particularly bays and inlets. Over-hunting of certain species can lead to population declines. By ensuring that only allowable species are hunted, it helps in maintaining a balance in the ecosystem.

What is the smallest duck species in the UK?

Hooded Mergansers forage by diving underwater. They catch their prey with their serrated and hooked bill. They will eat aquatic insects, fish, and crustaceans, particularly crayfish. In forested regions, they may eat snails, frogs, aquatic plants, and seeds. Female Wigeons are more plain. She is a light tan color with darker brown markings, including a dark brown smudge around her eye. At first glance they appear to be a boring pale brown color but they have stunningly vibrant blue wings that are hidden away. Redheads breed in western Canada, Alaska, and western US states before migrating for winter to southern US states, the east coast of the US, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Blue-winged teals prefer wetlands and areas such as shallow marshes, flooded ditches, and ponds. Females lay an average of 10 eggs each year and nest in tall grasses.

Redheads eat aquatic plants, pondweed, and grass. They also like to munch on snails, zebra mussels, and mayflies. Distribution: Widespread across England, parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Less common in Wales and south-west England but they can be seen here as their range expands during the winter.Common Goldeneyes breed in Canada and Alaska in summer and migrate late to the lower 48 for winter.

All Northern Shovelers have this awkwardly shaped bill, regardless of whether they are male or female. This specially shaped bill is useful as it helps them filter out seeds and crustaceans while dabbling for food in the water. Nests of Lesser Scaups are usually found on the ground very close to the water.Females may share their nests with others, so one nest may contain eggs from more than one female. The nests themselves are scraped and lined with plants and feathers. Males have a crest of long iridescent feathers and their chests are a bold chestnut color. The colorfulness does not end there – they also have bright red eyes. Many mallards live year round in one territory. Others migrate to Canada during breeding season and winter in the United States. Females and non-breeding males have reddish-brown spiky crests, red eyes, long, red bills, white throats, and gray bodies.

Nests of Common Mergansers are usually found in a tree cavity in mature forests. They often use abandoned tree holes and line them with down feathers. They also use nest boxes where available. If there are no tree cavities, they use crevices on cliffsides.