Michigan ’s diverse aquatic landscapes serve as a haven for a variety of duck’s egg coinage throughout the class . From the strike colour of the male Wood Duck to the distinctive song of the Northern Shoveler , the ducks of Michigan provide a charm experience for bird enthusiasts .
In this article , we will explore 27 duck species obtain in Michigan and how to discover and discover them .
Different Types of Ducks in Michigan
Gadwall
Gadwalls are subtle , often overlooked ducks inMichigan . male person have intricate gray , brownish , and black feather design that resemble white - laciniate “ scales . ” They have brown heads and dark grey-haired or black bills , with average and dark brown feathers on their dorsum . Females are dapple brown , resembling female Mallards , with a dark orangish - smutty greenback . Both sex have a white patch on their wings , more prominent in male , visible when flying .
Gadwalls prefer small ponds with passel of flora . male person have a unique “ bubble ” call , while females quack likewise to Mallards , though more or less higher - pitched . They are known for steal food from dive ducks , especially American Coots .
Ruddy Duck
Ruddy Ducks are challenging duck found in Michigan , bed for their classifiable show and behavior . Breeding males are in particular striking with their blue bill , white cheeks , black caps , and chestnut - colored body . Their unwavering black tail is typically held tumid . Females are tawny brown with a darker cap and have a black , scoop - comparable flier , which is also found on nonbreeding Male .
One of the most notable features of Ruddy Ducks is their unequaled courtship presentation . Males will flummox their bill against their neck , force melody through their feather to produce a swirl of house of cards in the water , attach to by a belch - corresponding sound . This exhibit is believe to attract females .
Ruddy Ducks are respectable swimmers than flyers ; they prefer diving and swimming off from vulture rather than taking to the tune .
Redhead
redhead are sociable ducks often find out in large flocks , particularly in Michigan during the winter . Both gender have a steep forehead and a bootleg - tipped gray broadside . Males stand out with their distinctive cinnamon - red head , yellow eyes , gray body , and ignominious chest . Females are brownish overall with a paler brass and sorry eyes .
Redheads are jazz for their gregarious nature , which makes them a pop target for hunting watch using steerer . distaff Redheads take in brood parasitism by repose some of their ball in the nest of other duck species , such as Mallards , Canvasbacks , and Northern Pintails , while still building their own nests and rear some hatchling themselves .
Males grow a true cat - like “ whee - uogh ” or “ keyair ” call to appeal females and emit a low , trilling “ rrrrr ” when threaten other Redheads .
Ring-necked Duck
The Ring - necked Duck is a medium - sized duck with a classifiable under the weather head and a gray bill with awhite isthmus and blacktip . male are characterise by their shining smuggled head , chest , and back , with contrast greyish sides and yellow heart . Females are chocolate-brown with a gray typeface and pharynx , and they have a hint of ashen around their dark eyes .
Contrary to what their name suggests , the “ ring ” on their necks is very faint and often grueling to see . These ducks are more commonly found in shallow ponds and wetlands across Michigan , where they incline to form large slew during wintertime , although they are usually regard in duet during the breeding time of year .
Historically , Ring - neck duck have been at danger from ingesting lead shot , a problem cut since the 1991 ban on lead shot . However , remnant of honest-to-god ammunition can still dumbfound a menace in some areas .
Common Goldeneye
The Common Goldeneye is a striking duck with distinct features that make it comparatively leisurely to identify . Males are notable for their dark green head , lustrous yellow eye , and a distinctive white impudence patch , paired with a body that is mostly livid with a shameful back and rump . Females have a brown head , a short dark bill with a lily-livered bakshish , and a pallid yellow heart , along with a white neck opening collar and greyish body .
In Michigan , Common Goldeneyes are skilled divers , open of appease underwater for up to a minute while search for fair game such as aquatic invertebrates , fish , fish egg , and seed from submerge plants . Their population is currently unchanging , but they rely on bodily cavity - nest sites provided by dead Tree , which makes them vulnerable to home ground change due to log .
make love as “ whistlers ” among huntsman due to the distinctive whistle sounds their wing make in flight , Common Goldeneyes are generally soundless except during courting . To support their nesting needs , many enthusiasts have instal nest boxes in their gentility areas .
Northern Pintail
Northern Pintails are slender ducks with recollective neck and fag end , and they have a pallid black - gray bill . male are tell apart by their cinnamon - brown heads , gray bodies , and white throat and breasts , while female have sheer tan heads and rufous - brown bodies . Their long necks and pointy derriere are notable , with the tail sticking out even when float . Non - breeding male person and female person have short but still noticeable tails .
These duck prefer wetland habitat away from masses , often find out near the edges of lakes and pond . male person make a call resembling a power train whistling , while female quack with low - pitched “ kuk ” sounds . Northern Pintails are excellent flyers , migrate at night and reach speeds of 48 mph .
Northern Shoveler
Northern Shovelers are well recognized by their magnanimous , wide bills . male person have unripe head , reddish - brown flanks , a white chest , black vertebral column , and yellow eyes . Females are chocolate-brown and may show a bluish articulatio humeri patch . Both sexes have the distinctive spoonful - shaped flyer , which they use to sift through mud and sand for food like crustaceans , mollusks , and aquatic dirt ball . Their bills have over 100 tiny projection , called lamellae , that help percolate out their repast .
While males make a croaky “ accept - pick out ” sound during courtship or in flying , female acquire a nasally quack . These duck’s egg are also know to team up , swimming in circles to call down up food .
Blue-winged Teal
Blue - wing Teals are small ducks easily recognise by the striking colors on the males . male person have a blueish pass with a white band in front of the center , a fatal bill , dim backstage , and a brown body with black spots . female person are chocolate-brown with a distinctive dark-skinned eyeline and jacket on their heads .
These duck’s egg get their name from the drab articulatio humeri piece visible only when in flight of stairs , with green plume below . Blue - winged Teals are normally found in shallow wetlands across Michigan and are the 2nd most abundant duck in North America , behind only the Mallard . male person make a high up - gear “ tsee - tsee ” phone .
Mallard
Mallards are one of the most recognisable duck , especially in Michigan . male have a bright light-green head , a thin lily-white collar , a sour cherry - dark-brown chest , a scandalmongering beak , and a smutty rump with a blanched - topple tush . Females are mottled brown with orange and brown peak . Both sex exhibit purple - naughty feathers on their wings , seeable while standing or flying .
These adaptable ducks thrive in various wetland habitats and are comfortable around the great unwashed , sometimes even visit swimming pools ! Mallards readily use human - made nesting structure , and while females quack , males make a distinct raspy call .
American Wigeon
American Wigeons are thick ducks with circular heads and blue - gray visor tipped in black . Males are mostly brown , boast a classifiable dark-green circle behind their eyes and a white treetop . Females have overall brown bodies with a grayer head teacher . Unlike Mallards , American Wigeons prefer subdued lake and marshland away from human bodily process .
They have a dieting rich in works matter and will often feed in farm bailiwick like geese . Their short bills are powerful for plucking flora . Male are known for their 3 - part pinched whistle , which sounds like a kazoo , while female make a rough oink quack .
Green-winged Teal
Green - winged Teals are the small dabbling ducks in Michigan , measuring 12 - 15 inches ( 31 - 39 cm ) in length and count between 5 and 18 Panthera uncia ( 140 - 500 g ) . Males are well identify by their chestnut - chocolate-brown head , green capitulum patch , and grey - exclude bodies with white stripes . Females are cloud brown with a dark eyeline . Both sexes have a green patch on their wings , visible in escape or when resting .
These ducks often mix with other mintage , and their littler size of it helps distinguish them . Green - wing teal have increased in universe in Michigan , despite being the 2nd most hunted duck’s egg in the U.S. Males produce a brusque , clean-cut whistle , while females quack yr - rotund .
Wood Duck
Wood Ducks are some of the most colorful and unique waterbird in Michigan . male have incredibly intricate plume , featuring a immature crested head , ruby eyes , and a chestnut tree chest with white flecks . female are more soft , with browned bodies , a greyish crest foreland , a white teardrop eye patch , and a blue patch on their wing .
Unlike most ducks , Wood Ducks often nuzzle in trees , using abandoned cavities or elevated nest boxes . Their powerful claw allow them to perch on branches . When disturbed , they fly away with a tatty “ ooeek - ooeek ” call . Hatchlings excellently leap from gamy nests , sometimes from as high as 50 invertebrate foot , to reach the earth !
American Black Duck
American Black Ducks are often mistaken for their namesake due to their dark color . Both males and female have dark brown bodies with pale brownish heads . Males have a yellow bill , while females have a deadening olive bill . When in flight of steps , search for the iridescent purple rectangle on their wings .
Despite their name , these ducks do n’t actually have smuggled plumage . They are unremarkably found in shallow wetlands in Michigan , oftentimes foraging alongside Mallards . American Black Ducks can be difficult to tell apart from distaff Mallards , so pay tending to large mountain . male produce a flutelike tin whistle to attract teammate , while females make loud “ quacks . ”
Muscovy Duck
Muscovy Ducks are heavy - set domesticated duck , with males often twice the sizing of female . They are typically white and black , with drab unripe plumage around their wings , and feature prominent blood-red wattling around their bill and side .
While barbarian Muscovy Ducks are aboriginal to the American continent , they ’re seldom picture in Michigan as they are usually domesticise raspberry that have escaped . These duck were among the first to be domesticated in South America and later introduced to Europe . Through selective breeding , a smorgasbord of domesticated breeds have emerged .
Domesticated Muscovy Ducks are large with noticeablered wattling and pommel above the neb , whereas groundless Muscovy Ducks are more slender and acrobatic . In Michigan , you are most likely to encounter Muscovy Ducks on farm , in commons , or as part of feral universe . escape domestic duck may sometimes breed with other coinage , resulting in sterile offspring .
Long-tailed Duck
Long - tailed duck present dramatic seasonal alteration in appearing . In winter , when they transmigrate in the south , you’re able to see them inMichigan , as they are not typically recover here during their breeding time of year around the Arctic Circle . Male are know for their prospicient tails , which are missing in females , who have consistently short tails .
These ducks are adept underwater diver , often seen in coastal or saltwater environments , include estuaries and brackish waters . on occasion , they may also appear in tumid , thick freshwater lakes . Their telling diving skills allow them to reach out depths of up to 200 feet ( 60 meter ) as they use their wing to impel themselves subaquatic in search of small Pisces , mollusks , and crustaceans .
Black Scoter
Black Scoters are strikingly decided in appearance and behavior . Males are entirely black with a distinctive greenback : black at the root and a vibrant orange and bulbous upper part . female person , on the other hired hand , are a soft John Brown with noticeable clean impertinence patches .
During the education time of year , male Black Scoters engage in dramatic courtship showing . They vie fiercely for the attention of females , performing a variety of actions , including sing - Sung dynasty whistle calls , head - shaking to showcase their bright bill , and short flights or annexe - flapping . Their displays climax in a head - dipping motion that highlights their consignment and vigor .
In the summer , Black Scoters are institute in northern Canada and Alaska , where they are excellent at hunting mussels . As winter approaches , they transmigrate southward , spreading across North America . They favor shallow saltwater habitats with rocky or sandy bum , where they can efficiently forage for crustaceans and mollusks .
White-winged Scoter
White - fly Scoters are the large of the Scoter species and have a few alone features . Males are exclusively black , with typical white patches on their secondary flight of stairs feathers and around their eyes . female are dark brown with similar whitened grading on their wings and cheeks .
During summer , these ducks inhabit northern Alaska and Canada , nesting near fresh water lake . They know in breed pairs and may nest quite closely to each other , sometimes within 10 feet of neighboring pairs . It ’s vulgar to see them around nest sea gull during this time .
As fall approaches , White - wing Scoters migrate south , including to Michigan , where they spend the wintertime . They are skilled divers and can reach depths of up to 65 feet , mostly forage for shellfish like careen clam and razor clams .
Bufflehead
Buffleheads are small ducks known for their gravid heads . male person are strike with white chests and flanks , a large snowy patch on their head , a dark back , and iridescent purple - green plumage on their face . female are mostly brown with a darker head and a classifiable livid impertinence patch .
In Michigan , these ducks are easy to recognise due to their unique visual aspect and behavior . They spend up to half their time plunk underwater to forage for aquatic invertebrates and crustaceans , so be patient and watch for them to resurface .
butterball are particular about nesting , preferring cavities , usually those made by Northern Flickers or occasionally Pileated woodpecker . They are affected by lumber but adapt well to in good order install nest loge . While in general quiet , Male produce a squeaking whistle in late winter to other spring .
Canvasback
Canvasbacks are declamatory diving ducks easily identified by their torpedo - shaped heads that slope down to a foresighted , sour peak . male have striking carmine - brown heads and violent eye , paired with a black knocker , black tail , and pale grey-headed body . female are obtuse , with a brown head and black eyes .
These duck seldom leave the piddle , even log Z’s while float and building nest in floating vegetation . They are omnivore , consuming insects , mussels , plant Tuber , and come . Canvasbacks can dive up to 7 foot inscrutable to forage for aquatic vegetation , which they tear off with their potent bills .
Although their populations have waver due to wetland home ground exit and a decline in their primary food source , uncivilised cultivated celery , Canvasbacks have in the main rest steady since the 1980s . They are mostly unsounded , total to their distinctive presence in the urine .
Hooded Merganser
The Hooded Merganser is a small duck’s egg with a distinctive appearance and deportment . bringing up males are easily recognized by their large black-market peak with salient white-hot patches on each side and bright chicken eyes . female , on the other helping hand , have dark eyes and a brown overall plumage with a easy , mohawk - comparable crest . Nonbreeding males resemble female but have yellow eyes .
One of the most striking peck is the breeding male person with its elaborate dim and white crest fully displayed . Hooded Mergansers are typically found in shallow pool and rivers during the summer , while they transmigrate to unfrozen lakes and bay in winter .
Their long , lithesome greenback is serrated , ideal for catching diminished Pisces , crayfish , and aquatic insect , which they withdraw whole . These duck hunt underwater by sight , benefiting from sight adaptations that raise their underwater clarity .
Interestingly , female Hooded Mergansers may practise brood parasitism , laying some of their ballock in the nests of other Hooded Mergansers . It ’s not uncommon to find nests with over 40 eggs , which means some female cease up conjure a large bit of skirt in gain to their own .
Red-breasted Merganser
The Red - breasted Merganser is a slim duck’s egg do it for its long body , neck , and tenuous circular . raising males are striking with their grim green head , spiky crest , cinnamon - colored chest , and red heart . female and non - breeding Male have a more subdued grayish - brown appearance .
Theseducks breedin boreal forests across North America and can often be picture on inland lakes during the summer . In wintertime , they transmigrate south and are commonly found just offshore or in gravid , unfrozen trunk of weewee .
carmine - breast Mergansers primarily eat fish , consuming around 15 - 20 per day to meet their energy needs . To catch this many Pisces , they may dive up to 250 times day by day ! They sometimes turn together to crowd minnows into shallower water to make fishing easy .
Interestingly , because fish - exhaust bird generally taste unpleasant , Red - front Mergansers , like other merganser specie in Michigan , are not commonly hunted . This is also why penguin are not typically eat !
Common Merganser
The Common Merganser is a fairly large duck’s egg differentiate by its long , slenderorange throwaway with a blacktip and dark eyes . Breeding males boast a mostly white consistence with a pitch-dark back and a Mallard - similar unripe caput . female and non - breeding males have a cinnamon - coloured capitulum and a grayish - white body .
In Michigan , Common Mergansers are relatively gentle to identify due to their distinctively slight throwaway . Their principal diet consist of Pisces the Fishes , which they catch with their serrate bills . They also consume aquatic invertebrates like crustaceans , mollusks , dirt ball , and worm .
These practiced fisher often attract attention from other duck , seagulls , and even Bald Eagles , all hop to pilfer a meal . Common Mergansers nest in Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree cavum made by woodpeckers . Remarkably , the ducklings leap from the nest to the ground within a solar day of hatching and are guided by their mother to piddle , where they start scrounge for their own food at once .
Lesser Scaup
The Lesser Scaup is a diving duck that is the most common of its kind in North America , though spotting one in Michigan can still be a challenge . Males are well recognizable with their yellowish eye , calendered shameful foreland , and contrasting speckled gray back with snowy slope . Females are glum brownish overall with an even darker capitulum and a trenchant white dapple around the base of the neb .
Lesser Scaups are typically found in heavy lake , reservoir , and estuaries , where they often constitute massive flocks during winter . From a distance , these flocks can appear as enceinte patch of floating vegetation .
To differentiate Lesser Scaups from Greater Scaups , mention their head conformation : Lesser Scaups have a more grandiloquent , sickly head , while Greater Scaups have a rounder head . Lesser Scaups are generally quiet , but female are pretty more vocal , produce a range of guttural barks and grunts .
Greater Scaup
Greater Scaups are orotund diving duck found in Michigan , though they primarily breed in the icy area , with some even traveling across the North Pole into Europe . Males are distinguished by their yellow eye , green question , dark chest of drawers , and a speckled gray back with bloodless sides . female have a chocolatey - brown head , a tender browned body , and a detectable white patch around the base of their bill . Both sexual activity romp large dingy - grey bills with a fateful tip .
These duck’s egg are often seen in large bodies of water , where they gather in sizable flocks . Greater Scaups closely resemble Lesser Scaups , but they have a rounder head liken to the Lesser Scaup ’s more peaked head . While generally quiet , males produce a soft , nasally whistle during the gentility time of year .
