American Black/Mottled Duck - Gary Graves

ML76205611

American Black/Mottled Duck Anas rubripes/fulvigula

Report

Contributor

Date

Location

Norfork Lake--Quarry Use Area
Baxter, Arkansas, United States
Media from this location Illustrated Checklist
Map
Map Coordinates: 36.2545434, -92.2395533
Age
Not specified
Sex
Not specified

Observation details

I was surprised to see a "black duck" in an incoming flock of female Mallards which made a number of circuits of the eastern arm of the lake above the dam. The contrast in plumage darkness between the black duck and mallards was striking in flight. Wing linings of the black duck were silvery. The flock settled on the water about 1/2 mile offshore. I studied it for 20 minutes at maximum magnification (60x) and took some poor pixelated photos with a 400 mm lens. There are only two possibilities. Am. Black Duck and Mottled Duck. I never saw any warm buffy tones on the head. The bill was dull and non-reflective (definitely not bright or medium yellow). Both species would require good documentation in the Ozarks (Black Duck is very rare and Mottled Duck has not been recorded). This photo documentation is insufficient. However, if I were in tidewater Virginia, where I spend most of my time, I would not hesitate to call this bird a Black Duck.

Technical information

Model
Canon EOS 60D
Lens
EF400mm f/5.6L USM
ISO
320
Focal length
400 mm
Flash
Flash did not fire, auto
f-stop
f/10.0
Shutter speed
1/640 sec
Dimensions
1596 pixels x 816 pixels
Original file size
311.53 KB