Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Mareca Species: Mareca americana Introduction: The American Wigeon or “Baldpate” is a common waterfowl species in Washington and popular game bird throughout North America, known for its excellent table fare. The white crown on the drake is… Continue Reading →
Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Bucephala Species: Bucephala islandica Introduction Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) is a medium-sized diving duck that breeds primarily on boreal lakes and winters on sheltered coastal bays and inlets. It is closely related and morphologically similar… Continue Reading →
Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Bucephala Species: Bucephala albeola Introduction: The Bufflehead distinguishes itself among waterfowl. Characterized by exuberance and a minute figure of 12-16oz (Todd 1979), it remains one of the smallest diving ducks of North America, (Johnsgard 1979)…. Continue Reading →
Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Branta Species: Branta hutchinsii Introduction The Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii, is a medium to large bird. Once thought to be a small subspecies of Canada Geese, in 2004 DNA sequencing resulted in them being considered… Continue Reading →
Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Bucephala Species: Bucephala clanngula Introduction The common Goldeneye is a bird of the diving duck family. The appearance of the male differs quite noticeably from the female. The male has a teal green head with a large white… Continue Reading →
Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Mergus Species: Mergus merganser Introduction The Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) is a medium-large bodied piscivorous duck of forested rivers and lakes throughout the northern hemisphere. There are 3 subspecies found throughout its range, each with slight plumage and… Continue Reading →
Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Anas Species: A. crecca Introduction: Green-winged teals are one of the worlds smallest dabbling ducks (Arzel et al., 2007). They are about crow-sized and weigh between 140 and 500 grams. They are about 31-39 cm… Continue Reading →
Order: Anseriformes Family:Anatidae Genus: Lophodytes Species: Lophodytes cucullatus Introduction The Hooded Merganser is a small duck identifiable by its crested head, which is a warm brown in adult females and black with a white spot on either side on adult males. This… Continue Reading →
Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Anas Species: Anas platyrhynchos Introduction: A far as dabbling ducks go, the Mallard duck or, Anas platyrhynchos, is the most common species of duck in North America. This duck can be found in almost any water… Continue Reading →
Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Spatula Species: Spatula clypeata Introduction: The Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) is one of the dabbling ducks that can be found in Washington state. It is appropriately named for it’s large shovel like bill. They are typically… Continue Reading →
