Outdoor Ontario

Request for Information => Bird ID => Topic started by: Neev on December 09, 2014, 10:29:50 PM

Title: Need help identifying duck
Post by: Neev on December 09, 2014, 10:29:50 PM
I was out walking along the Humber River in West Toronto this morning. I noticed an unfamiliar duck mixed in with some Mallard.

It was dark brown all over apart from a white patch on its breast right beneath the throat, and had a grey-ish bill. It was about the same size as the Mallard. I haven't had any luck identifying it so far and any help would be great!
Title: Re: Need help identifying duck
Post by: Walter Fisher on December 10, 2014, 12:13:06 AM
Hi Neev,

If it and you were near the big white bridge than it was an immature King Eider that you were looking at.  It's actually a rare bird in Ontario but a few show up each winter.

Walter :)
Title: Re: Need help identifying duck
Post by: Neev on December 10, 2014, 08:58:21 AM
Hi Walter,

I saw the bird upriver in St. Etienne-Brule park, near Old Mill. I googled pictures of the immature King Eider and it does look like the bird I saw. The only thing that's making me doubt it is the bill - the bird I saw didn't have the same bill as an immature Eider. It looked like a Mallard's bill but slightly more pointed, if that makes sense?

I'm not familiar with King Eiders at all so could it still be an immature bird with an undeveloped bill?

Neev
Title: Re: Need help identifying duck
Post by: Reuven_M on December 10, 2014, 09:33:18 AM
Your bird is more likely to be a domestic mallard of some variety.
Title: Re: Need help identifying duck
Post by: John on December 10, 2014, 09:34:42 AM
Given the location of the sighting and the fact that the bill of that King Eider is orange, it is unlikely to be a King Eider.

More likley that it's a domestic mallard.
Title: Re: Need help identifying duck
Post by: JW Mills on December 10, 2014, 11:57:13 AM
As Reuven and John have said, most likely some sort of domestic mallard.
Google 'bibbed mallard' and look thru the images.
Title: Re: Need help identifying duck
Post by: Neev on December 10, 2014, 07:18:38 PM
Yes, the pictures of bibbed mallards look like what I saw.

Thanks for the help!