Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Black Duck

 American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)

Very similar in looks to female mallards, don't you think? But notice his bill is YELLOW not orange like a female Mallard. True they are not really black but actually chocolate brown.

Time for a rest

I'm sorry there were no female black ducks around, or I'd show you the female looks very much like the male, although her bill is is a dull green.

Hanging out with Mallards

They often flock with Mallards (and sometimes breed with them too) so here you can see that the American Black Duck really is darker than a female Mallard.

I am connecting to Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE

62 comments:

The Cranky said...

Lovely photos, that bit of bright blue peeking from under their wings is a cheery sight!
You have a real gift for making the viewer feel they are right there with you. =)

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Lovely shots of all the ducks. Would be good to try and get both M & F Black ducks together for us to see.

Mersad said...

Amazing wildlife shots. They don't look to happy on the ice. I'm sure they would enjoy water more :)

Mersad
Mersad Donko Photography

Stewart M said...

We have the Pacific Black Duck here - if we had yours and the Mallard as well it would be a bit of nightmare!

Nice shots.

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

eileeninmd said...

EG, great shots of the Black Duck! I love the top shot! Have a happy day!

Darla said...

Stunning details of the feathers in the first two shots.

Darla

MadSnapper said...

I enlarged that first photo and studied the way his feathers are put together. so beautiful the way each feathers is where it should be and so full of details.

Mari said...

Black but that little blue from the wings makes him noticeably beautiful.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

I love that first image too EG, can see it as inspiration for a water colour painting.

Gill - That British Woman said...

I wonder if they get cold feet standing on that ice all day?

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Such clear photos showing it's color variation...:)JP

George said...

The Black Duck is beautiful, even if it isn't black. You got some great photos.

William Kendall said...

You've captured these birds beautifully, EG!

Small City Scenes said...

Excellent shots. You captured the feather detail perfectly. MB

Giga said...

Among feathers and blue color can be seen. Ducks are very pretty. Regards.

TexWisGirl said...

how neat, but i'd get very confused with the mallards - especially hybrids. :)

Linda W. said...

Nice duck pics. They look so cold, sitting on the ice!

Unknown said...

You've caught them wonderful!
But I couldn't tell the difference, to me these are all ducks ;)
Have a fine day
【ツ】Knipsa

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

Nice that you explained that they are not really black. I thought you had over exposed the picture. :) Pretty duck nevertheless.

Sharon Wagner said...

There are so many species ducks! Nice close up.

Mary Howell Cromer said...

What a gorgeous bird, excellent photography~

Adam Jones said...

What a nice duck. Quite similar to the Mallard, but not one I've seen before. Nice to see your images of it.

21 Wits said...

Such a pretty duck it is!

Karen said...

Cute little black duck!

Sylvia K said...

Gorgeous captures as always and the detail never ceases to amaze me! You are an awesome photographer and I love those COLD ducks!! Stay warm and enjoy your week!!

Anonymous said...

Great shots, they are full of character!

Tante Mali said...

She's a beauty!
All my best
Elisabeth

orvokki said...

The first photo is fantastic and so cute.
Hugs

Gunn said...

Nice images of nice models.

Ginny Hartzler said...

Wonderful portraits! The feather pattern is so beautiful, like art.

RedPat said...

That's a new one for me, EG! And you are much braver than me for getting out and about in this cold.

cieldequimper said...

Pretty black duck with that little patch of blue!

Malyss said...

In France , when it's very cold , we speak of a "ducks cold " . Those ducks seem happy to be there !

VP said...

Excellent images, lovely ducks!

Amy at love made my home said...

I never heard of or saw a black duck before, I am claiming this therefore as my what I learned today!! xx

Anvilcloud said...

New to me, so I'm glad you provided a comparison at the end.

Judy said...

Learn something new every day! I never knew about black ducks, so I have likely been thinking they were simply female mallards...

Kathy said...

I love your duck photos. You should put togethr a book of them.

Elizabeth Edwards said...

my 1st thought when i saw that 1st shot ... was handsome. what a beauty duck. great shots. stay warm this week. take care. ( :

Shammickite said...

I love those shots, lovely detail on their feathers.

Birdman said...

.and a 'back' duck too.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Great shots.The side by side with the Mallard is good for comparison.

Unknown said...

You do take the most fabulous bird pictures !

Lois said...

Beautiful bird. I love seeing a bit of the the dark blue wing patch.

Carletta said...

They do indeed remind me of the mallard. I like his little bits of color in the beak, the blue and the feet. :)

DeniseinVA said...

A very good comparison in your last shot EG. All your photos are excellent.

NCSue said...

I can almost feel the feathers - such a crisp, clean image!
Thanks for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2015/02/off-of-saint-maarten.html

Michelle said...

Love that spot of blue on the feathers.

Randy said...

They look cold.

Stephanie said...

Lovely shots! Absolutely love the first shot!

Jenny said...

I really like the way your photos look like paintings. Beautiful ducks.

Debbie said...

Pretty but an odd duck!!

Cheryl @ TFD said...

He's a pretty duck and I like that spot of blue.

Indrani said...

Fine photos so well taken. :)

Breathtaking said...

Hello C G!:) I would have thought they were Mallards at first glance. Nice shots, of the not so Black Duck, which I think is lovely with those blue feathers.

Kerri Farley said...

Lovely feather detail!!

Irma said...

Great pictures of the ducks.
Perfect photographed, my compliments.

Rohrerbot said...

Nice comparison shot next to the Mallards. I remember looking at them thinking they do look different. Mottled Ducks are another one. Beautiful capture on that first photo!

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

I've never seen this duck before - I love the feather patterns. Your photos are fabulous.

NatureFootstep said...

they had a black duck in Australia too. We saw rater many of them in Queensland. They were nice birds. :)

CountryMouse said...

It looks like he has a blue feather in his wing? Very nice pics of the pretty fellow.

A Colorful World said...

I think he's mis-named! He's a handsome duck, and I love that blue area tucked into his wing, too.

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.