A favorite time
of year is passing. Fall migration
brings to my region of the world a most fascinating group of birds, ducks. With the advent of spring, they start for
their northern reaches and prepare for mating season and nesting. The North doesn’t get all the fun of watching
new ducklings hatch and grow. The South
still has some of this with Wood Ducks, Black Bellied and Fulvous Whistling
Ducks. But I digress.
The real intent
of this piece is to explore two species of ducks that for some reason confuse
enough birders and hunters alike that special care needs to be taken in the
field. The two in question are the
Canvasback and the Redhead. Seeing red,
quick and often erroneous identification takes place. I once heard a group of duck hunters tell the
story of the time they had labored a couple of days dragging equipment and
building a blind setting out decoys, getting everything just right for opening
day. They had talked of being able to
spend a whole enjoyable day in the blind.
Before dawn on a very cold opening day they made their way carefully and
quietly into the blind. At light, the
ducks came in. Someone yelled
“Redheads”! Shots fired and two ducks
fell. The dogs retrieved. One hunter, who was also the better birder,
took one look at the ducks and said, matter-of-factly, “Canvasbacks”. And a silence fell upon the group. Nothing said for several minutes. One guy finally said it was time to go
home. Within 15 minutes of the beginning
of the season, their day was over. They
had bagged their limit according to the point system in place at that time.
Birders can make
the same mistake, especially when there are many different species on the
water. One gets caught in the excitement
of the moment. Perhaps not wanting to be the only one not finding and
identifying something not yet seen by the rest of the crowd, one says there is
a Canvasback when it’s really a Redhead.
It is understandable; we are drawn to and fascinated by the larger and
more unusual. Are we not?
Both the
Canvasback and the Redhead are diver ducks.
Both must run across the water in an effort to get airborne. Yet, their food is quite different. Canvasbacks eat much vegetative matter. Their favorite food is wild celery. Redheads will eat water plants but supplement
their diet with clams and snails.
The Canvasback
is the largest duck in North America. It
is often referred to as the aristocrat of ducks. The male has a very white body with a black
front and rump. The female is
brownish-grey with a pale brown neck.
The female then is described as being two toned.
The Redhead is
medium sized. The male has a dirtier
white back with a lot of grey in it. Its
front and rump are also black. The
female is a uniformed dull brown all over.
The definitive
field marks, however, lie on the head.
The head shapes, bill shapes and bill colors are decidedly
different. The Canvasback has a sloped
forehead, and long black bill. Many
would characterize the Canvasback’s head as a ski slope. On the other hand, the Redhead has a rounded
head sitting on a shorter neck and its bill attaches more at a right
angle. The effect is the Redhead’s
abrupt, smart look. Finally, the bill color is light blue. In fact, some refer to Redheads as
“Bluebills”.
If you see red,
look twice, then make the determination.
Labels: Canvasback, Ducks, Redhead
