Ring-necked Duck

Ring-necked Duck aka. Ringbill

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, USA
December 2020
Member of the Ducks, Geese, and Swans Family
§A Brace of Ducks§

{Etymology Corner} This duck's name is universally reviled. Every resource that I usually check for bird facts mention that the name is not very accurate, and that the ring around the ducks neck is very hard to see on a living animal. Here are some quotes, because why not:

• This species might better be called the "Ring-billed Duck," for its chestnut neck ring is usually seen only at close range, while the white ring on the bill can be a prominent field mark.
• his bird’s common name (and its scientific name "collaris," too) refer to the Ring-necked Duck's hard-to-see chestnut collar on its black neck. It’s not a good field mark to use for identifying the bird, but it jumped out to the nineteenth century biologists that described the species using dead specimens.
• Despite the name, the ring on its neck is almost never visible.
• The cinnamon neck ring is usually difficult to observe, which is why the bird is sometimes referred to as a "ringbill"
• The "ringneck" name is derived from a faint brownish ring around the base of the neck, which is visible only upon close inspection.

That was 5 different websites (in order: Whatbird, All About Birds, Audubon, Wikipedia, and Ducks Unlimited) finding their own coping strategy for how badly named this bird is. My favorite is wikipedia, which goes so far as to point out that a better alternate name already exists. The only website that resists opining is good old businesslike ebird.org. There aren't really any other interesting facts about this bird. It's just a very sharp looking duck with a bad name.

Gets excited when talking about obscure scientific topics

Bigger in person than you'd expect

Perpetual sinus infections

Wood Duck

Wood Duck aka. Carolina Duck
Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, California, USA
February 2018
Member of the Duck, Goose, and Swan Family
§A Flush of Ducks§


{Etymology Corner} Wood Duck is slang for a sucker or rube (I would argue infrequently used). Apparently it's 70's era lingo from the used car salesman community. No information presents itself on how this originated/why it would make sense.

~true bird fact~ A very different kind of duck from what we usually see, at least physiologically. Wood Ducks have sharply clawed feet, which they use to perch in trees near water. Wood Ducklings are born into nest cavities and have to leap up to 50 feet into the ground or water and can do so without injury. So all those videos of people 'helping' baby ducks by catching them as they jump out of their nest can go take a hike as far as I'm concerned.

You know that quote about 'dance like no one's watching'? Wood Duck always acts like someone's watching him.
Master of the celebrity encounter name drop
Gets a lot of his food at the farmer's market



 How Endangered Were They? A distinctly North American species, Wood Ducks never had much of a range outside of the USA and Canada (they're in other places now because they were popular ornamental birds). This was bad news for Wood Ducks during the height of American expansionism. They were actually on the verge of serious trouble by the late 19th century, both because of loss of habitat, and because of hunting, mainly for their feathers (the infamous 19th century fancy hat industry strikes again).

Happily, Wood Ducks are doing much better now, because at that crucial moment, some sweeping government regulation was enacted to protect them. The 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act declared them a protected species, and, along with the introduction of constructed nesting boxes, enabled them to bounce back. You know who else helped? Beavers, who also have a rebounding population, and happen to naturally make perfect Wood Duck habitats. So thanks beavers, and thanks reasonable regulations, for making this bird alive. And of course, zero thanks to our current president, who is choosing to roll back the Migratory Bird Treaty Act's protections for birds after 100 years of success stories like this. Hopefully this move loses him the bird vote.

Northern Pintail

Northern Pintail aka. "The Greyhound of the Air"
Wetlands Edge Park, American Canyon, California, USA
March 2015
Member of the Duck, Goose, and Swan Family
§A Paddling of Ducks§

~true bird fact~ Seems unusually prone to misfortune as a species. Their population dropped from 10 million to 3.5 million in the 7 years from 1957 to 1964 as a result of  avian diseases. A similar die-out happened in 1997, when 1.5 million waterbirds died of avian botulism, most of which were pintails. Furthermore, they're one of the more popular ducks for hunting. They are also disproportionately impacted by the lead poisoning that results from the shot used in aforementioned hunting as well as sinkers in fishing. All that being said, they're got a healthy and fairly stable population for now. You have to wonder though, with that kind of record...

Loves sports, a big part of hislife
Strives to give back to the community
Owns many fancy suits and watches
Needs "time to think" alone

Northern Shoveler

Northern Shoveler aka. Northern Shoveller (Brit.) aka. Shoveller aka. Spoonbill aka. Spoony (colloq.)
Wetlands Edge Park, American Canyon, California, USA
December 2016
Member of the Duck, Goose, and Swan Family
§A Team of Ducks§

~true bird fact~ Lets talk about that bill, which is unique among ducks, and is this bird's namesake. In addition to the unusual spatula shape, the bill is surrounded by 110 fine 'teeth' called lamellae. These allow the duck to filter out plankton and tiny crustaceans from the water's surface. This adaptation means they eat a lot of stuff no other duck eats, and having a unique food source is no joke, evolutionarily speaking. Shovelers have even been observed working together by swimming in circles, stirring up the water and skimming the food particles up.

Surprisingly multi-lingual
Seems to attract unlikely events
Might believe some pretty crazy stuff about aliens and history
Puts little value on expert opinions or scientific research

Cinnamon Teal

Winter... the days get shorter, the weather gets colder, and here in my beloved Northern California it gets rainy (when we're lucky). It's kind of a lousy time of the year, to be honest. One thing, however, that winter offers is ducks, which fly through or overwinter in the larger Bay Area. That's right, it's duck season once again here on the blog! For the next few weeks, our business is ducks, and duck business is booming.

 Cinnamon Teal
Wetlands Edge Park, American Canyon, California, USA
December 2016
Member of the Duck, Goose, and Swan Family
§A Seasoning of Teal§

~true bird fact~The female Teal makes her nest in big piles of dead foliage, so that it's covered on all sides, and from above. She gets to and from her nest through a tunnel in the vegetation. I'm picturing kind of like a duck bunker. You can never be too cautious in these times.

(male) (female)

male
crossfit fanatic
dabbles in the customs of other cultures. It's hard to say whether this is offensive, and to what extent
hard to know his real personality

female
deals with problems in measured, considered ways. This often involves list making
does, in fact, love cinnamon
belongs to this motivational/self-actualization movement that seems a little cult-y

American Wigeon

American Wigeon aka. American Widgeon aka. Baldpate (archaic)
San Francisco Bay Trail, San Rafael, Calironia, USA
March 2016
Member of the Duck, Goose, and Swan Family
§A Flush of Ducks§

~true bird fact~ Has a more vegetarian diet than any other dabbling duck. His short bill is built for this, as it allows him to exert more force, lever-style, to dislodge vegetation. Also, since I don't think I've ever fully laid this out, there are two types of ducks. 1) Dabbling ducks are the ones that stick their faces in the water and have their butts up in the air. They seem very buoyant and have smaller feet that are closer to the center of their body. This guy is a dabbler. 2) Diving ducks are the ones that fully disappear beneath the surface of the water and swim all the way to the bottom to eat. They have shorter legs and bigger feet, like these (all except the Mallard). Sea ducks are a whole other thing. So now you know something about types of ducks.

Projects a persona of tolerance and understanding, until you find something you disagree with him on
Values personal freedom very highly
Tries to play down his upper class background for 'cred'
Vapes

female, male

Bufflehead

Bufflehead aka. Spirit Duck
Cesar Chavez Park, Berkeley, California, USA
January 2016
Member of the Duck, Goose, and Swan Family
§A Paddling of Ducks§

{etymology corner} The name Bufflehead is reportedly a portmanteau of 'Buffalo' and 'Head', referring to this duck's unusually large and bulbous head. The Latin name, Bucephala albeola, is playing around in the same territory, translating to 'white bullheaded'. I mean it's a somewhat unusual head guys, but I don't know if I'd go that far.

~true bird fact~ The Bufflehead nest nearly exclusively in hollows originally excavated by Northern Flickers (sometimes other woodpecker nests are acceptable). Buffleheads are so small partly so that they can fit into these tiny hollows. That's how evolution works, right?

female

Talks in a squeaky baby voice, has other alarmingly immature affectations
Malleable
Optimistic, at times too a fault

male

 

Jumps quickly to defensiveness when questioned
The life of the party
Exudes leadership energy

Common Eider

Common Eider aka. "Cuddy" (informal)
Two Lights State Park, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA
August 2016
Member of the Duck, Swam, and Goose Family
§A Blush of Ducks§
★The National Emblem Bird of Northumberland★
★The Largest Duck of the Northern Hemisphere★

{etymology corner} The scientific name of the Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) translates to "very soft bodywool", which refers to this duck's particularly soft down. The feathers are plucked from the female's breast and are used to line the nest in the cold climates where these birds live. People use the down for blankets and pillows. Eider down can be harvested from birds sustainably and humanely though, so don't worry too much. Also, it isn't really used that much any more.

~true bird history~ The subject of one of the first ever bird protection laws. In the year 676 Saint Cuthbert declared that the colony of birds living on the Farne islands off the coast of Northumberland (Britain), were off limits. Among many other interesting qualities he possesses, the final resting place of St. Cuthbert is only known by group of 12 monks, and only when one dies does a new one get informed. Check out his wikipedia, it's pretty neat.

Bookish and cerebral
Needs a lot of down time. Naps
Big soup fan
Has many admirers, but doesn't know it

Common Goldeneye

Common Goldeneye aka. "Whistler"
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, USA
December 2015
Member of the Ducks, Geese, and Swans Family
§A Flush of Ducks§

~true bird fact~ Usually when you see a duck with a whole bunch of babies you assume its a family unit, but this isn't always the case. In Common Goldeneyes, it's not unusual for one mother duck to abandon her brood after a few weeks, and for them to join up with the chicks of another. Furthermore, if mother ducks have a territorial fight, the babies will often scatter, and when they return to their parents, sometimes the children have gotten all mixed up. Don't worry though, these ducks end up ok! Or maybe they have some emotional issues to work through, but they can survive is what I mean.

~general bird fact~ How do ducks and other diving birds see underwater anyway? Well, your amateurnithologist just found this out while looking on wikipedia. It's called a Nictating Membrane, and it's basically a translucent third eyelid that can draw over the eye from the side. It turns out tons of animals who have a need to protect their eye, but still see out of it, share this evolutionary feature. It's most common among things that have to go underwater, but lots of stuff has it- birds, sharks, dogs, polar bears. As someone who finds goggles kind of cumbersome, I kinda wish I had a nictating membrane.

Female

Exasperated often
Good at finding bargains, "sale hunting"
Quick to shut down any disagreement or debate

male

Very embarrassing, just look at this dumb thing he's doing right now
Perpetually put upon and beset by misfotune
Doesn't really get it, but tries

Common Merganser

Common Merganser aka. Buff-breasted Merganser aka. Sawbill aka. Fish Duck aka. Goosander
Lake Tahoe, California, USA
June 2015
Member of the Ducks, Geese, and Swans Family
§A Flush of Ducks§

{Etymology Corner} The name Merganser comes from the latin for Plunging Goose.
How good of a name is it? 7/10 It's pretty cool sounding, and it's fairly literal, as this is a large water bird that does a lot of diving. Could be better if it weren't misidentified as a goose or if the name mentioned that unusual toothed bills.

~true bird fact~ Common Mergansers are quite some hunters. They're got those teeth in their bills so that they can seize prey underwater. Other birds have been known to take advantage of this, following flocks of feeding Mergansers and trying to steal fish from them as they surface. Prime offenders are Seagulls and Bald Eagles, which makes sense, as both are well known layabouts.

Has a good personality, like all ducks. Affable
Often misspeaks or makes gaffes, but doesn't seem bothered by it
Often ahead of the curve on social issues
A real sweet-talker

Green-winged Teal

Green-winged Teal
Albany Mudflats State Marine Park, Albany, CA, USA
March 2015
Member of the Ducks, Geese, and Swans Family
§A Dopping of Teal§
★The Smallest North American Duck (about the size of a pigeon)★

~true bird fact~ I know it's not going to be a major bird shocker, but think for a second about migration when you see this bird. This guy breeds in Northern Alaska and the Aleutian Island chain, and is an unusually early migrator, leaving his wintering grounds as early as February and arriving just when the snow is melting. That means this is a bird that is flying 3000 miles to go to Alaska in early Spring. Birds are so tough.

Has seemingly boundless energy
A natural at many things
Doesn't know how to relax
Harbors secret desires to be a crime fighter, exercises and trains a lot

Muscovy Duck

Muscovy Duck aka. Barbary Duck aka. Common Duck aka. Forest Duck aka. Greater Wood Duck aka. pato criollo ("creole duck") aka. pato casero ("backyard duck") and pato mudo ("mute duck")
Key West Botanical Gardens, Key West, Conch Republic
April 2015
Member of the Ducks, Geese, and Swans Family
§A Team of Ducks§

~true bird fact~ There is a lively and ongoing debate in the Jewish community about whether or not Muscovy Ducks are Kosher (permissible for strict Jews to eat). This seems to stem from a rabinical decision in the 1800's by an American rabbi, who banned the ducks. No ban has ever existed for Jews in Israel.

Additional Duck Facts

~Another bird first scientifically described by our friend Carl Linnaeus
~Muscovy Ducks don't quack, they hiss
~Muscovy Duck liver and heart are ingredients in Homeopathic medicine, said to relieve flu symptoms
~The name comes from their musky smell, seemingly. There is some debate on this topic.
~Considered an invasive species in most parts of the US, they are sometimes destroyed by wildlife services. The exception to this is in some parts of southern Florida and Texas where they are considered 'close enough' to native. The duck's usual home is Central and South America.
~Muscovy ducks have an unusually detailed wikipedia page, where most of this information is from



And now, a new feature for us here on Amateurnithologist: Selected Excerpts from customer reviews on BackyardChickens.com. We call it...

Bird Reviews
Rated #2 in ducks (!!!)

"My ducks dance where ever they go"

"Cons: creepy looking and smelly "

"These are my best ducks and are great mothers, very sweet, have beautiful babies"

"very laid back"

"I will go outside and they will be up in the front yard just doing duck things"

"We love our Muscovy drake but he is very very randy. He will try to mate with any bird he can get his beak on, which made for an awkward situation with the neighbor"

"I did not like him at all, He was huge and had very sharp nails"

"They can be a little shy at first but once they see you enough they warm right up to you and love you almost instantly"

2014: A Birding Year in Review

At the beginning of this year, I posted some birding resolutions for the coming year. Well, it's our last blog post of the year, and I think it's a good time to look back at some of those goals and see just how much we accomplished, as well as setting some new ones. Were they mostly amateurnifails or amateurnisuccesses? It's a time for reflection, a time for introspection, it's the amateurnithologist year in review.

1) Take a picture of a Golden Eagle

Status: TOTAL FAILURE
Amateurnithologist should have set this goal as 'take a million pictures of bald eagles' since it was really their year. I saw them probably a dozen times this year, but never even spotted a golden eagle. This goal will have to continue forward, since I still totes wanna see that bird.

2) See a Roseate Spoonbill

Status: Semi-success
Well, I definitely got to see this bird, and I even got a picture of it, so maybe it's a full success. But I just can't get over how disappointing it is that I didn't have my good 'birdin camera' on this very eventful trip to Florida. It broke shortly beforehand and I had to use a backup, hence why there haven't been many pictures from it post to the blog. We're a victim of our commitment to quality here on Bird Blog. Next year maybe I will get a picture of a Spoonbill worth a portraiture entry.


3) Get a good picture of a Vulture

Status: Good Job!
Actually was able to knock the whole North American Vulture Family off the blog list this year, with solid entries for both Black and Turkey Vultures. It was most exciting that I finally got to find some at rest and take intimate portraiture shots that you don't often see of these birds. Condors, my 'reach goal', were not to be had, but they were always unlikely.


4) Blog about more ducks

Status: Duckcess!
We managed to get a few good ducks on the blog in this year, and have several more in the queue. Most importantly, I paid more attention to ducks in my day to day birding, and as a result got quite a few interesting ones, including the inexplicable Lake Merritt Tufted Duck and the Surf Scoter that was my 'duck to look for'.

5)  Track down the elusive Snail Kite

Status: DID NOT DO
Yeah, when I went and visited his home, there were simply no raptors to be seen. I think I'd need to dedicate a lot more energy to finding this guy, and frankly he doesn't seem worth it. If Snail Kite happens, he happens, if not, I'm willing to let this one go. I did get a ton of other raptors this year, many of which will be blogged about in the new year, including the above Merlin.


6) Find a Painted Bunting

Status: Welllllll... 
This Painted Bunting Pic (PBP) was taken by Amateurnithologist's mom at Green Cay Wetlands in Florida. So, since I worded the goal 'find the Painted Bunting', you could call it a success. I now know where he is. However, never one to rest on his laurels, the Amateurnithologist will not be satisfied until he sees one himself and can put a quality picture of it up on the blog. Next year Painted Bunting, next year!

Total Success Rate: 50%
I'd say halfway getting to your new years resolutions is better than most people manage, so I'm going to call this one a success. So, just to recap, what am I going to be trying to do in 2015? I think this year's goals are going to be mostly local, trying to take in the rarer birds that I know are here, but haven't gotten to see yet. It will the year of the California bird.

Three goals that carry forward
1. Golden Eagle
2. Califonia Condor
3. Painted Bunting

and three new ones
4. Audubon Society blog (expertly named Audublog) posted recently about Owling California. It seems California is positively lousy with the things. I'm a huge owl fan, as seen in entries about the Barn and Burrowing Owls, and would be excited to get, let's say... Two More Owls this year.
5. Sitting nearly right under your Bird Blogger's nose are the Farrallon Islands one of the great birding destinations. You don't need to travel half way around the world to see Puffins, and this year, I'm hoping to get out there by boat and capture some images of Tufted Puffins.
6. Road Runner. I just want a picture of a road runner. He lives in, like, all of our deserts. Let's make it happen.

Thanks for joining us on this journey, loyal readers. Join us next year for another fantastic year of birding amateurishly.

Lake Merritt Duckstravaganza!

Ducks! Ducks! Ducks!

Pictured above: A Chaos of Ducks

Blog readers, I promised you I would blog more ducks this year, and have I got ducks for you today! Let's visit the ducks pictured above and get to know them a little better. All pictures taken in beautiful Oakland California by your amateurnithologist.

Canvasback
Largest diving duck in North America
A bit vicious when it comes to getting what he wants

Lesser Scaup aka Little Bluebill (probably)
Named, perhaps, after the noise the female makes
Good at creative pursuits. A natural talent

Greater Scaup aka Bluebill (perhaps)
Named, maybe, after the Scottish word for the food he primarily eats
Smart and athletic. Works hard to get to where he is

Can you tell these two ducks apart? Neither can anyone else, but they are, apparently, different. Here are some of the nonsense things people will assure you will help you tell them apart. The greater one is larger, has a rounder head, and has brighter white sides. Me, I took these pictures while the ducks were in breeding season, so I'm going based on the sheen of their plumage. The Greater Scaup, it is said, has a slightly green tint, as compared with the Lesser's purple. But no one knows, really.

Mallard aka. Wild Duck
The wild ancestors of most modern domestic ducks
Gregarious. Has big get-togethers that go smoothly

Ruddy Duck
A major pest species in Europe, currently being culled in Great Britain. Messing up all sorts of local duck ecology by his, quoth wikipedia, "aggressive courting behavior and willingness to interbreed".
Thinks it's very funny when people get mad. Winks a lot.

Tufted Duck
The real prize of a birding trip to Lake Merritt. A native of Siberia, he really shouldn't be here in California. There's only ever one sighted, but he shows up more years than not. A recent local birding email thread turned up sightings from as early as 1970. So either this is a very old duck, or there are a few of them, or the duck is immortal somehow.
Has a deep love for American culture and a funny sounding accent. No one makes fun of him for it, though, it only makes him more appealing and fun to be around.

Birds.gif: Duck Eating

(click me to completely transcend the tyranny of still images)

Cayuga Duck

Oakland, California, USA

Member of the Duck Family

*true bird fact*~ He is a domestic duck, which means you can keep him as a pet or friend. He is well regarded as this kind of duck because his quack is not loud or disturbing.

A homebody

Good with kids, trustworthy

Eats interesting light snacks throughout the day

A good listener, understanding and non-judgmental

Full duck-vid (with AUDIO):