Waterfowl: Bird Identification

Mallard

Mallards, or "greenheads," are Missouri's most common duck. Hens have a loud quack; drakes give a lower-pitched kwek-kwek.

American Black Duck

Male and female black ducks are similar in size, flight, voice, and coloration to mallard hens. To avoid confusion, look for the white underwing and the green-tinted bill.

Northern Pintail

These slender ducks fly fast and often zigzag from great heights before leveling off to land. They may be seen in flocks with mallards. Drakes whistle; hens give a coarse quack.

Gadwall

These early migrants fly in small, compact flocks. They are the only dabbling duck with a white speculum. Note, however, that wigeon drakes have white shoulder patches.

American Wigeon

The green eyestripe and white belly and shoulder patch helps identify wigeon drakes. Hens are generally brown. Both sexes have stubby bills and slightly pointed tails.

Wood Duck

The drake wood duck is Missouri's most colorful duck. While flying, their wings make a rustling, swishing sound. Drakes call hoo-w-ett, often in flight; hens give a wailing cr-r-ekk when frightened.

Northern Shoveler

The large spoon-shaped bill helps identify this duck. Shovelers often form mixed flocks with blue-winged teal. Both species have pale-blue shoulder patches, but shovelers are larger.

Blue-winged Teal

These swift-flying early migrants are normally far south of Missouri by the time the regular waterfowl season opens. However, a few stragglers may show up throughout the fall.

Green-winged Teal

Green-winged teal are North America's smallest duck. Their size, rapid flight, and iridescent-green wing patches help identify these ducks.

Canvasback

The swiftest of all ducks, the canvasback has a rapid and noisy wingbeat. The bill, lighter coloration, and large size distinguish this duck from the similar-looking redhead.

Redhead

Redheads are most often confused with canvasbacks, but in flight they also look similar to ringnecks and scaup. Note the steep forehead and short, bluish-gray bill.

Hooded Merganser

The rapid wing strokes of hooded mergansers give the impression of great speed. Mergansers are often seen in pairs or very small flocks.

Ring-necked Duck (Ringneck)

This diver can be confused with scaup and redheads. In flight, the dark wings of ringnecks are different from the white-edged wings of scaup. The bold white ring at the tip of the bill is usually conspicuous.

Greater and Lesser Scaup

Except for the wings, greater and lesser scaup appear almost identical in the field. The white band near the trailing edges of the wings runs almost to the wing tip in greater scaup, but only halfway in the lesser. Do not confuse scaup with the similar-looking ring-necked duck.

Canada Goose

Canada geese are often called "honkers" because of their distinctive call. The black head and neck, white cheek patch, and brownish-gray body are distinctive.

Snow Goose and Ross's Goose

Snow geese have two color phases: white and blue. Ross's geese appear nearly identical to snow geese, but have a shorter bill with no "grin patch."

White phase

Blue phase

Greater White-fronted Goose

White-fronted geese, or "speckle-bellies," fly in V-shaped flocks. Their call is a laugh-like series of high-pitched paired notes.

Note: immature white-fronted geese and immature snow geese appear similar. Immature white-fronted geese have pink bills, orange legs, and black tails. Immature snow geese have gray bills, gray legs, and white tails.