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Puddle ducks are typically birds of fresh, shallow marshes and rivers rather than of large lakes and bays. They are good divers, but usually feed by dabbling or tipping rather than by submerging. Any duck feeding in croplands will likely be a puddle duck, for most of this group are surefooted and can walk and run well on land. Their diet consists of mostly vegetable matter.
A bird of the eastern states, primarily found in the Atlantic Flyway and, to a lesser extent, the Mississippi Flyway. The American black duck is shy and is often regarded as the wariest of all ducks.
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American Black Duck
Anas rubripes
At-a-Glance
• Type: Puddle Duck
• Peak Breeding Activity: March-April
• Incubation: 27 days
• Clutch Size: 9-10 eggs
• Typical Foods: seeds and vegetative parts of aquatic plants and crop plants |
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Description
The American black duck has a purple speculum with black margin and a small trace of white at the back of wing. The body is dark brown, which contrasts with the silvery under wings. The legs and feet are red. The most frequent natural hybrid among waterfowl is a cross with this species and the mallard; these hybrids share features of both species and turn up with regularity.
Habitat and Habits
Often seen in the company of mallards, but along the Atlantic coast, the American black duck frequents the salt marshes and ocean much more than mallards. They also inhabit marshes, ponds, and large rivers. They often forage in agricultural fields. Their flight is swift and they usually travel in small flocks. The hen's quack and the drake's kwek-kwek are duplicates of the mallards'.
Reproduction and Care of the Young
Black duck nests are usually scrapes in the ground that are concealed by vegetation. Young appear in May and early June and are mobile within a few hours of hatching. |
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