cccougar Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 I photographed a pair of ducks this week in South Carolina’s ACE Basin (Bear Island). Are these Ruddy Ducks or another type? Thank you for the ID help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 (edited) None are Ruddys; they migrated out of SC weeks ago. They're also smaller and marked differently. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck I think you have two species here. The two birds in the first photo and the right bird in the last are different from the bird in the second photo, which is the same as the left bird in the last. The bills are different sizes and colors. I don't see a speculum on any, so we may be able to rule out female Mallards; or it could be the light. The greenish bills may be Mottleds. Sorry, that's all the help I can be. Edited May 14, 2020 by Charlie Spencer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cccougar Posted May 14, 2020 Author Share Posted May 14, 2020 Thanks Charlie. The lighting is different but these ducks were shot at the same time and location. I’m pretty sure they are the same type. Not sure about Mallards. Other thoughts whatbird folks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Cochrane Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 I think most of these birds have some Mottled ancestry in them 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 On second look, I don't see any white on the wings, which would be expected for Mallards. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cccougar Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 Mottled Ducks look right. Thank you Connor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
von Humboldt Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 The bird in the second photo is a male Mottled Duck. Yellow bill make it a male and Buffy cheeks, short eyeline, gape spot and under tail coverts look like a purebred Mottled Duck. The other duck has a weird bill. It's hard to tell the color of the bill and the shape is hard to discern due to glare but the plumage looks like a Mottled Duck. Maybe it's the female Mottled Duck and just has a large deformed bill or the lighting is making it look so. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cccougar Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 Thank you von Humboldt! It was a pair of Mottled Ducks. It was just the two in this pond. Likely a male and female. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phalarope713 Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 Both look good for Mottled to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 11 hours ago, von Humboldt said: Maybe it's the female Mottled Duck and just has a large deformed bill or the lighting is making it look so. Yeah, that bill threw me. I had to double check to make sure it wasn't a Canvasback or even a Shoveler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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