This was taken end of April this year on South Padre Island Texas. My initial ID was Mottled Duck but no white wing bars. So having looked at Sibleys guide Black duck fits, or does it?
thanks in advance for any help,
Looks like one to me. A male, but I don't know if that would be in its range. I've never seen a Mottled but they show them as having not such a squared off blue patch on the wings.
Last edited by Eric Weaver; 08-10-2011 at 02:03 PM.
Chris- I'm thinking Mottled Duck based on the distribution, might coloration of head, and prominent black spot at gape (corner of mouth). White feathers wear faster than dark feathers and maybe the ones that should be on the wing, above and below the speculum have worn off in this bird.
I agree with the ID of Mottled Duck. Concerning the white border, per the BirdFellow account of this species (emphasis mine):
"Speculum is bluish green, bordered in black. Trailing edge of speculum may have a thin white border."
In addition to the marks already pointed out, I'd expect American Black Duck to have more evenly dark feathers. To me there seems the buff edges on this bird seem too extensive for Black Duck.