Visual Search | Wizard | Browse
Bird name:
Home| Search| Browser| Expert| Forum| Store| My WhatBird| Help| Site Map

Mottled Duck

Anas fulvigulaOrder: ANSERIFORMES Family: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)
Codes: Common Name: MODU Scientific Name: ANAFUL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175070
Least Concern
 
Mottled Duck
Copyright © 2004 - 2008 Whatbird.com



Rate this Illustration: Excellent Very Good Good
Fair Below Avg Poor

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

Overview

Mottled Duck: Medium dabbling duck with dark brown mottled body, feathers usually show distinct multi-toned chevrons, buff-brown face and unmarked neck, darker crown and eye line. Speculum is blue-green bordered with black and fine white bars. Bill is bright yellow; legs and feet are orange.

Range and Habitat

Mottled Duck: Breeds from Texas to Florida, introduced to South Carolina coast. Non-migratory, year-round resident of coastal marshes, both freshwater and estuarine. Forages in rice and agricultural fields, particularly in autumn. Occasionally found inland.

Topo Map: Duck-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"quack"

Interesting Facts

 A group of ducks has many collective nouns, including a "brace", "flush", "paddling", "raft", and "team" of ducks.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Ashli Maruster Splitbar
Range Map for Mottled Duck

Related Birds

Mallard
American Black Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Gadwall
.
Family Dabbling Ducks (Anatidae)_blue
Species Anas fulvigula
Length20 - 22 Inches
Wingspan30 Inches

Mottled Duck

Mottled Duck: Medium dabbling duck with dark brown mottled body, feathers usually show distinct multi-toned chevrons, buff-brown face and unmarked neck, darker crown and eye line. Speculum is blue-green bordered with black and fine white bars. Bill is bright yellow; legs and feet are orange.

● Song: "quack"

● Foraging & Feeding: Mottled Duck: Dabbles in shallow marshes and ponds for mollusks, crustaceans, snails, insects, fish, seeds, and aquatic vegetation. Also feeds on grass, grain, and berries.

● Breeding & nesting: Mottled Duck: Monogamous. Ground nest consists of scrape in dry area of marsh, usually near water. Nest built by female, concealed by surrounding vegetation, lined with down, breast feathers. Eight to twelve unmarked creamy to green white eggs. Female incubates for 25 to 27 days. Prococial young, fledge at 60 to 70 days, attended by female.

● Similar species: Mottled Duck: American Black Duck is darker overall with darker face and purple speculum. Female mallard is lighter overall, with more orange bill often with black cere, paler tail and rump, and blue speculum distinctly bordered with white.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with strong wing beats.
Mottled Duck Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Mottled Duck: Breeds from Texas to Florida, introduced to South Carolina coast. Non-migratory, year-round resident of coastal marshes, both freshwater and estuarine. Forages in rice and agricultural fields, particularly in autumn. Occasionally found inland.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationFairly common in coastal range
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight36.8 Ounces
Duck-like BodyX
CrownX
The crown is the top part of the birds head.
Eye lineX
The line of feathers just in front of and behind the eyes. It extends back from the posterior angle of the eye. This can be a useful trait used in identification in the field since it is very noticeable.
FaceX
The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.
SpeculumX
The brightly colored area on the wing (secondaries of the wing) on several duck species.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Read more...
ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

Read more...
Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX