Joan and Dan's Birding Blog: Florida Mottled Duck

Today's featured feathered friend is the Florida Mottled Duck, a unique subspecies of the Mottled Duck found only in Florida. Also known as the Florida Mallard, they are close relatives of the Mallard Duck. They spend their entire life within the state and are one of only a few non-migratory ducks in North America. They are adaptable to many wetland habitats in both brackish and fresh water. They can be found in ponds, marshes, lakes, rivers, canals, flooded fields and even roadside ditches throughout southern Florida.

Unlike "diving" ducks who feed by swimming under water, Mottled Ducks feed on or near the surface. They lurch forward submerging their head under the water, with their tail pointing straight up. Ducks who employ this foraging technique are called "dabbling" ducks. Males and females are similar in appearance except for the bill. The Male's bill is bright yellow, the Female's is deep to pale orange, sometimes with black splotches around the edges and near the base. They are dark brown overall with a light brown head and neck. They have blue wing patches and bright orange legs and feet. The average Mottled Duck is about 23 inches in length, weighing up to four pounds, with a wingspan of nearly three feet.

Feral Mallards are breeding with Mottled Ducks. The result of this "hybridization" is that fewer pure-bred Mottled Ducks are left each year, which could ultimately doom the Florida Mottled Duck to extinction. The draining of wetland areas in south Florida has resulted in habitat loss. This species is also prized by hunters. Despite these hardships, their conservation status is "Least Concern".

Enjoy some of our favorite photos of the Florida Mottled Duck.....tweet.....tweet!! Or should it be.....quack.....quack!!?