American Black Duck

Description: Black ducks resemble mallard ducks in terms of size and the females resemble the female mallard in terms of coloration – though – a black duck’s appearance is darker. Male and female black ducks look a lot alike, however the female’s bill is green while the male has a yellow bill. The body darker brown than the head and the feathers reflect some shades of violets and blue hues with very dark plumage as well. When flying, the bottom of the wings are white contrasting the darker body.

Breeding: You can find American black ducks breeding from the northern areas near the Mississippi river, throughout parts of northeaster US states, and farther north into Canada. Black ducks breed most frequently in Maine and Nova Scotia where they use a lot of different habitats when nesting, laying eggs, and raising young – areas such as bogs, marshes, swamps, lakes, streams, fresh, brackish, and salt marshes, and other areas where salt and fresh water mix. A female black duck will usually lay about nine eggs in a breeding season.

Migrating and Wintering: One can find black ducks frequenting the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways when migrating, with most of them moving along the coastal areas along the Atlantic Ocean. Black ducks are usually found along coastal wetlands from Maine all the way down to Florida, inland to Lake Erie, eastern Canada, and throughout the mid-Atlantic states. Large populations will group in winter months between southern New York state and North Carolina. When away from salt water and salty marshes, black ducks will thrive in rivers and major river valleys like the Upper Illinois, the Detroit, and Tennessee river valleys.

Population: Populations of black ducks have been steadily declining since about 1950 and the cause is not quite known. Some data points to growing populations of mallard ducks in eastern states that may be moving into black duck feeding and breeding grounds, that may also have generated some hybrids between species in addition to the increased competition for food.

Food Habits: Black ducks typically feed in shallow water eating plants (seeds, nuts, some leaves) and small animal-life such as bugs, salamanders, small fish, snails, and crustaceans in areas with more salt water.

Popularity: 4%