This is a blog for the order
Anseriformes, which includes the waterfowl:
ducks, geese, swans, screamers of South America, and the strange Magpie Goose of Australia .
Ducks, geese and swans (Anatidae) are a diverse group of mostly aquatic birds that can swim, float and some can dive in water. They have a dense coat of waterproof feathers and webbed feet. Anatids are mainly herbivores, yet one group, Mergansers, are piscivorous. Some Anatids have been domesticated for agriculture, while others are hunted for recreation and food.
Regional Distribution in Eastern North America
There is
1 family:
Anatidae (ducks, geese and swans) with 46 species contained in 17 genera.
Photos
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A male Mallard Duck displaying his blue speculum .
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| A pair of Wood Ducks. |
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| A Mute Swan landing on water. |
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| A Canada Goose in flight. |
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| Common Merganser chasing a fish underwater |
Sources
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Nice job! Any chance you could add a photo of a "diving duck"?
ReplyDeleteSure. I'll do that now.
DeleteI found it interesting that more of the Anatids are not piscivores. I would have expected more than just one group to be piscivores.
ReplyDeleteYes, a lot of anatids eat fish but Mergansers are the ones that only eat fish.
DeleteGreat pictures! I learned a few years back that the species, sex, and age of most ducks can be determined just by looking at their wing feathers - no head, tails, or feet needed!
ReplyDeleteVery cool, that's awesome. Can you do that?
DeleteI learned what feather characteristics to look for in some eastern duck species (color, fraying, length, etc), but I probably wouldn't be able to do it without the help of an expert. Interesting stuff, though!
DeleteVery cool photos! I am sure we will see plenty of these on our field trips.
ReplyDeleteOut of the ones you have here the Canadian goose, Mute swan, and Mallard duck I know of but never seen a Common Merganser.
ReplyDeleteI notice a lot of Canada Geese around my town and I always wonder why they fly in a V shaped formation. Do you know?
ReplyDeletecheck out this site it explains it well:
Deletehttp://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/geese.html
They fly in a V to conserve energy. As you go down the line, each bird encounters less air resistant and expends less energy flying.
Male Mallard Duck looks cool displaying blue color. Do you know if he is doing that to attract female or to warn predator?
ReplyDeleteI believe it is used as a display to attract females.
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