ML219213881
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
Foraging in shallow water off of a rocky island on the river. Appeared to be paired with a male Mallard. I immediately identified this bird as a candidate female Mexican Duck based on the dark body plumage and brown tail. This was a medium-sized duck, proportionately similar to the nearby MALL. Bill was mostly orange with a diluted dark wash (not the well-defined dark splotching expected of a female MALL). Body very dark brown, with strong contrast between breast and pale tan neck. Dark eyeline also more contrasty than a MALL. Pencil-thin lower border to speculum, rather than broad white edging. Undertail coverts solid brown. Tail mottled brown with limited pale edging typical of MEDU. No trace of upturned tail feathers. Seen better than photos suggest.
Technical information
- Model
- NIKON D500
- ISO
- 640
- Focal length
- 500 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire
- f-stop
- f/5.6
- Shutter speed
- 1/3200 sec
- Dimensions
- 801 pixels x 540 pixels
- Original file size
- 103.31 KB