Duck mix

Take a look at this row of ducks and see what you can identify. They were all relaxing off Stratford Point earlier in the week. This is a migratory time for waterfowl and they probably appreciated having a quiet and relatively safe spot to stay for a while. How many do we have of each species in what order?

What do you have? I have Mallard, American Black Duck, American Black Duck, Mallard, Mallard, American Black Duck, American Black Duck, Long-tailed Duck, American Black Duck, and Mallard. What always amazes me about such situations is how you get a sense of their actual sizes when multiple species are mixed together in such a tight group. American Black Ducks and Mallards are frequently seen with one another and have approximately the same build. They even interbreed from time to time. Then you see a bird like the Long-tailed Duck with this bunch and it is astonishing how tiny they really are!


Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician


Photos by Scott Kruitbosch © Connecticut Audubon Society and not to be reproduced without explicit CAS permission