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| Waterfowl in winter's morning mist on Lady Bird Lake. |
Wintertime is the perfect time to look for ducks in central Texas. Several species that breed far north of our state’s border return to Texas in the colder months to feed in our unfrozen freshwater lakes and rivers. From the Old English ‘duce’, the word duck is a derivative of the verb meaning to duck or dive, or bend down low as if to get under something. It best describes the way many ducks feed, by upending or diving under the water in search of a wide variety of food sources, such as small aquatic plants, grasses, fish, insects, amphibians, worms and mollusks.
Most ducks fall into either the dabbler or diver category. Dabblers feed on the surface of the water, and sometimes on land, while divers disappear completely beaneath the surface and forage deep underwater. In general, divers are heavier than dabblers, which gives them the ability to submerge more easily, but they often pay the price by having more difficulty when taking off to fly.
While there are several species of ducks that are commonly found in central Texas winters, those that are more rarely seen usually occur singly or in small numbers. These ‘odd ducks out’ include species such as the Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus), Redhead (Aythya americana), and Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera).
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| A pair of Hooded Mergansers (female behind, male in front). |
The Hooded Merganser is an uncommon diving duck that is found on forested wetlands, rivers, and backwaters. The male has a black bill and head, with a large white head patch that is conspicuous and fan-shaped when the elegant crest or hood is raised. His black and white breast and back gives way to chestnut sides. Females are generally browner, including their bushy crest, with some white only in the wing feathers. Hooded Mergansers are one of the few species of ducks that nest in tree cavities rather than on dry ground near water, and the females may start scouting for next year’s tree cavity at the end of each breeding season.
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| A handsome male Hooded Merganser with his crest on full display. |
The Redhead is a locally common diving duck, with the male having a rounded chestnut head, black breast, and smoky gray back and sides. The female is tawny brown with a mostly slate bill with a pale band bordering a black tip. The male’s bill is similarly patterned, but is mainly pale blue instead of slate. Redheads prefer ponds and lakes with open waters, and sometimes winter in large flocks called rafts. They fly faster than most ducks with a rapid, shallow wingbeat, and are sociable ducks that are usually found feeding with other duck species in a mixed flock.
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| Redhead ducks are aptly named. |
An overall cinnamon color distinguishes the male Cinnamon Teal from the rich brown of the female, but both have a teal blue forewing patch. The male also has a white face crescent and a vertical white flank patch. Cinnamon Teals are dabbling ducks that can be sometimes be found on quiet marshes, ponds, and lakes in winter, typically near the edges of vegetation. Males molt soon after breeding, but regain their rich reddish plumage by midwinter. While this species is not endangered, its population is declining due to pollution, recreational hunting, and the loss of wetland habitat.
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| Cinnamon Teal prefer wetland habitats with emergent vegetation. |
The next time you venture out to a lake, river, or pond this winter, check the water’s edge and scan the flocks to see if you can spot one of Austin’s odd ducks!
