American Black Duck

The American black duck, with its brownish-black plumage and iridescent violet speculum, is one of the wariest of all the large dabbling ducks (Kortright 1942; Fig. 1). The black duck’s distribution is confined to eastern North America but extends into Manitoba. The black duck breeds in a variety of habitat types, from the brackish coastal marshes of North Carolina to the open boreal forests of northern Quebec and Labrador (Bellrose 1976). In acidic bogs, beaver streams, and sluggish riverine and floodplain habitats of the boreal forest, the black duck’s dark plumage (males and females have similar plumage) blends with the dark organic-stained waters of forested wetlands (Fig. 2).