Coastal Carolina

HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 14 inches Wingspan: 31 inches * Large dabbling duck * Large spatulate bill * Juvenile similar to adult female Adult male alternate: * Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer * Black bill * Eyes yellow * Green head * White lower neck, breast, and tail * Rusty underbody with white band on hind flanks * Dark back, with elongated white scapulars * Pale blue upper secondary coverts * Green speculum with white leading and trailing edges Adult male basic * Similar to adult female Adult female: * Eyes brown * Orange bill with dusky patches * Mottled brown and buff head, neck and back * Dusky blue upper secondary coverts * Dull green speculum with white fore border Similar species: Large, spatulate bill makes the Northern Shoveler immediately recognizable in all plumages.

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Anas clypeata HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 14 inches Wingspan: 31 inches * Large dabbling duck * Large spatulate bill * Juvenile similar to adult female Adult male alternate: * Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer * Black bill * Eyes yellow * Green head * White lower neck, breast, and tail * Rusty underbody with white band on hind flanks * Dark back, with elongated white scapulars * Pale blue upper secondary coverts * Green speculum with white leading and trailing edges Adult male basic * Similar to adult female Adult female: * Eyes brown * Orange bill with dusky patches * Mottled brown and buff head, neck and back * Dusky blue upper secondary coverts * Dull green speculum with white fore border Similar species: Large, spatulate bill makes the Northern Shoveler immediately recognizable in all plumages.

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Mergus serrator HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 16 inches Wingspan: 33 inches * Large, sleek diving duck * Long, pointed bill with serrated edges * Thin, red bill seems evenly tapered throughout length * Shaggy crest obvious in both sexes * Red eye * White secondaries * Immature similar to adult female Adult male: * Greenish-black head * White neck * Reddish breast with dark streaks, bordered on sides by black-and-white patch * Gray flanks, tail, rump and uppertail coverts * Black back * White belly * White secondary coverts * Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer * Male in basic eclipse plumage like adult female Adult female: * Red-brown head, paler on throat, but without well-defined chin * Red-brown head fades evenly to paler breast * Gray and white breast and belly * Gray-brown body plumage Similar species: Adult male in alternate plumage is similar to male Common Merganser but has reddish breast and gray flanks. Female, immature and eclipse male distinguished from similarly-plumaged Common Mergansers by lack of sharply-defined chin and lack of sharp contrast between reddish head and white breast, and by darker gray plumage, spikier crest, and slimmer bill. In winter, Red-breasted Mergansers are more likely to be found in saltwater habitats than are Common Mergansers.

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HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 14.5 inches Wingspan: 33 inches * Medium-sized diving duck * Smoothly rounded head * Dark wing with grayish secondaries * Immature female similar to adult female, immature male is similar to female in autumn, but acquires alternate plumage during winter Adult male alternate: * Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer * Eclipse-plumage male duller than in alternate plumage, especially about the breast and * Blue bill with white ring before black tip * Yellow eyes * Reddish head and neck * Black breast * Grayish back and flanks * Black tail, upper- and under-tail coverts * Whitish belly Adult male basic: * Duller than in alternate plumage, especially about the breast and back Adult female: * Brown eyes * Dark blue-gray bill with black tip * Brown head and body plumage * Whitish belly Similar species: Adult male Redhead in alternate plumage easily is distinguished from Canvasback by yellow eye, blue bill with black tip, gray back and different profile. Females distinguished from female Canvasback by brown body plumage and blue bill with black tip. Females can be distinguished from female Ring-necked Duck by smoothly rounded crown, dark cap and darker brown plumage.

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Aythya americana HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 14.5 inches Wingspan: 33 inches * Medium-sized diving duck * Smoothly rounded head * Dark wing with grayish secondaries * Immature female similar to adult female, immature male is similar to female in autumn, but acquires alternate plumage during winter Adult male alternate: * Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer * Eclipse-plumage male duller than in alternate plumage, especially about the breast and * Blue bill with white ring before black tip * Yellow eyes * Reddish head and neck * Black breast * Grayish back and flanks * Black tail, upper- and under-tail coverts * Whitish belly Adult male basic: * Duller than in alternate plumage, especially about the breast and back Adult female: * Brown eyes * Dark blue-gray bill with black tip * Brown head and body plumage * Whitish belly Similar species: Adult male Redhead in alternate plumage easily is distinguished from Canvasback by yellow eye, blue bill with black tip, gray back and different profile. Females distinguished from female Canvasback by brown body plumage and blue bill with black tip. Females can be distinguished from female Ring-necked Duck by smoothly rounded crown, dark cap and darker brown plumage.

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Aythya collaris HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 12 inches Wingspan: 28 inches * Small, compact diving duck * Peaked crown * Dark wing with grayish flight feathers * Immature female similar to adult female, immature male is similar to female in autumn, but acquires alternate plumage during winter Adult male alternate: * Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer * Blue bill with white ring around base, white subterminal ring, and black tip * Yellow eye * Purple head and neck * Chestnut ring around neck is not easily visible * Black breast * Gray flanks with vertical white finger at forward portion * Dark back, tail, upper- and undertail coverts * Whitish belly Adult male basic: * Similar to adult female Adult female: * Dark brown crown and pale gray-brown face, becoming whitish on lores * Dark blue-gray bill with white ring before black tip * Brown eye with narrow white eye ring * Dark brown body plumage with very dark back Similar species: Adult males can be distinguished from Scaup by different bill pattern, black back and grayish flanks. Female can be distinguished from female scaup by black tip on bill, and lack of distinct white patch on face. Female-plumage birds are distinguished from female-plumage Redheads by colder brown plumage, contrasting gray-brown face, and peaked crown.

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Oxyura jamaicensis HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 11 inches Wingspan: 23 inches * Small, chunky diving duck * Long stiff-tail is often held vertically * Dark wings * Immature similar to adult female Adult male alternate: * Alternate plumage worn in Spring and Summer * Brilliant blue bill * Black crown and nape * Rust-red lower neck, breast, back and body * White face * Black tail Adult male basic(eclipse): * Eclipse plumage worn Fall-Winter * Dark gray bill * Dark cap * Face white, as in alternate plumage * Gray brown neck and body plumage Adult female: * Like winter male, but with dusky horizontal stripe crossing pale gray cheek patch Similar species: Most other diving ducks do not have the long, stiff tail of the Ruddy Duck. Hooded Mergansers can sometimes hold their tails erect like Ruddy Ducks, but have crests and long thin bills. The rare Masked Duck of South Florida and South Texas has a similar shape but adult male in alternate plumage has dark face, and the female, and immature and eclipse-plumaged males have a buff head with a dark cap, dark eyeline and dark line below eye.

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Chen caerulescens HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 19 inches Wingspan: 58-59 inches * Sexes similar * Medium-sized long-necked goose * Different color morphs * Frequently gathers in huge flocks * Sometimes hybridizes with similar Ross's Goose White morph-adult * Entirely white plumage * Black primaries * Pink legs and feet * Pink bill with black patch along mandibles * Sometimes has orangish stains on head White morph-immature * Mostly white plumage * Pale gray nape, back, and wing coverts * Black primaries * Dark legs and feet * Dark bill Blue morph-adult * White head and upper neck * Dark lower neck and body-some have white bellies * Pale gray wing upperwing coverts * Scapulars dark-centered with white edges * Mostly dark primaries and secondaries * Pink legs and feet * Pink bill with black patch along mandibles Blue morph-immature * Mostly dark gray-brown plumage * Dark legs and feet * Dark bill Similar species: The white morph of the Snow Goose is similar to widely-escaped domesticated barnyard goose. Note that the Snow Goose has black primaries and a distinctive bill pattern. Domesticated geese have white primaries and, often, an entirely orange bill. White morph Ross's Goose is extemely similar to the white morph Snow Goose. The Ross's Goose is smaller with a stubbier bill without the black patch on the mandibles. It also appears rounder-headed with a shorter neck. Immature white morph Snow Goose is darker-backed than the immature white morph Ross's Goose. The rare blue morph of the Ross's Goose can be separated from the similar blue morph of the Snow Goose by the same structural characteristics already mentioned. Hybrids between Ross's and Snow Geese have intermediate characteristics. The immature blue morph is similar to the immature White-fronted Goose but has dark legs and bill.

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Melanitta perspicillata HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 14 inches Wingspan: 33 inches * Medium-sized diving duck * Sloping forehead * Base of bill unfeathered Adult male: * Entirely black plumage * White patches on nape and forehead * Colorful bill: white with a red tip and black spot at base * Immature male similar to female Adult female: * Two variably white spots on face * Dark crown * Very dark plumage * Immature females somewhat paler Similar species: The adult male Surf Scoter with its black plumage and white patches on the nape and forehead is distinctive. Female plumages of the Surf Scoter are similar to female plumages of the other scoters. It can be told from the Black Scoter by it more sloping forehead, and white face patches. The White-winged Scoter has white wing patches, a face that doesn't contrast with the crown, and a smaller bill.

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