Often called the aristocrat of ducks, the Canvasback holds its long sloping forehead high with a distinguished look. Males stand out with a rusty head and neck and a gleaming whitish body bookended in black. Females are pale brown overall, but that Canvasback head shape still gives them away.
This diving duck eats plant tubers at the bottom of lakes and wetlands. It breeds in lakes and marshes. Northern Shoveler: I home in on its white shoulders and rust-colored belly.
It has a medium-small body but with an absurdly large spoon-shaped bill on its dark green head. Mallard: A big duck with body colors opposite of shoveler: rust. Canvasback Duck Aythya valisineria Family - ANATIDAE The canvasback is a colorful diving duck found only in North America.
The body of the male is grayish-white; he has a black chest and tail, a striking rust-colored head and neck and bright red eyes. The female is less colorful with a speckled gray body, a brown head and neck, and brown eyes. Redhead Duck (Aytha Americana) Description: The male had a black chest and tail feathers and a white belly.
He is predominantly gray on the sides and back, with a large round rust. Look For A medium-sized diving duck named for its deep rust-red head. The male redhead's black breast contrasts with a pale gray back.
His gray bill is tipped in black, and the eyes are yellow. Female is uniformly gray. Another good identification factor for the green-winged teal is the green patch that adorns the males' rust-colored head.
Females of both teal species are mottled brown to gray, but do show the speculum color. Blue-winged teal landing in a wetland. Photo by Dominic Sherony, CC BY.
The White Faced Tree Duck (Dendrocygna viduata) is also called the White Faced Whistling Duck. These ducks have a white face, black head, rust-colored neck and breast, black and white barring on its side and back, and gray legs and bill. The breeding male Masked Duck has a rust colored body with a mottled back.
The dark face and neck contrasts with the light bill. It has an eye-ring. Female has brownish-gray boddy, light face with 2 dark horizontal stripes.
Similar to: female Ruddy Duck. Female Ruddy Duck has 1 horizontal stripe on side of its head, female Masked Duck has 2. The male Ruddy Duck is a small, rust colored duck with a black head, contrasting white face, and an unusual light blue bill.
Its long spiky tail is often held upright when it swims. Female is much drabber. Color can vary among male, female, and immature plumages, making identification even trickier.
Learning relatively consistent traits among males, females, and juveniles is helpful, especially if you focus on the head and bill shape, which tend to vary less than plumages.