The two major US populations of Mottled Duck occur in Florida and along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Texas, with local breeding inland to “southeast Colorado, western Kansas, Oklahoma (rarely), and northeast Texas” (AOU Checklist of North American Birds, Sixth Edition, 1983). Palmer (Handbook of North American Birds, Vol. 2, 1976) notes that Mottled Duck bred in 1963 at Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas, and that some individuals occur inland beyond the usual breeding range during the post-breeding period. Presumably these inland. records pertain to birds from the Texas-Louisiana population, as the Florida birds are generally considered nonmigratory. Thus the occurrence of Mottled Duck in Nebraska is a possibility, especially in the fall

Bray, Tanya

Padelford, Babs

Silcock, W. Ross

English

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - LincolnDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - LincolnNebraska Bird Review Nebraska Ornithologists' Union6-1986Mottled Duck in NebraskaW. Ross SilcockTabor, Iowa, silcock@rosssilcock.comTanya BrayOmaha, NebraskaBabs PadelfordBellevue, NebraskaFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nebbirdrevPart of the Ornithology Commons, Poultry or Avian Science Commons, and the ZoologyCommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Ithas been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Bird Review by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.Silcock, W. Ross; Bray, Tanya; and Padelford, Babs, "Mottled Duck in Nebraska" (1986). Nebraska Bird Review. 1240.http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nebbirdrev/1240Nebraska Bird Review 39 MOTTLED DUCK IN NEBRASKA The two major U.S. populations of Mottled Duck occur in Florida and along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Texas, with local breeding inland to "southeast Colorado, western Kansas, Oklahoma (rarely), and northeast Texas" (A.O.U. Checklist of North American Birds, Sixth Edition, 1983). Palmer (Eand-book of North American Birds, Vol. 2, 1976) notes that Mottled Duck bred in 1963 at Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas, and that some individuals occur inland beyond the usual breeding range during the post-breeding period. Presumably these inland. records pertain to birds from the Texas-Louisiana population, as the Florida birds are generally considered non-migratory. Thus the occurrence of Mottled Duck in Nebraska is a possibility, especially in the fall. There is one Nebraska record, of a female which was winged by William Lemburg while he was hunting along the Loup River in Howard Co. 5 October 1968 (NBR 48:88), Mr. Lemburg kept this hen in captivity for some time, raising several broods by mating her with a drake Mottled Duck obtained from Texas. Mr. Lemburg kindly sent us a color slide of the female, from which we had color prints made. These prints show the head, bill, and wing characters clearly enough for diagnostic indentification of the bird as a female Mottled Duck in Definitive Alternate plumage (see Palmer, 1976). This plumage is generally worn from late summer through winter, The photograph was taken in winter. Key features shown in the photograph are: the bill is "muted orange-yellow with dark olive spots or blotches on upper mandible, concentrated at the middle"; "innermost secondaries are blackish-brown, comparatively pointed, and very narrowly edged whitish buff to pale tan"; speculum essentially as in male, "cobalt-ultramarine or ultramarine-violet, the white band at trailing edge often reduced or absent" (descriptive phrases from Palmer, 1976). Comment is in order regarding the amount of white bordering the speculum in this species. Bellrose (Ducks, Geese and Swans of North America, 1976) shows (plate 8) the speculum of Mottled Duck with a noticeable white bar at the rear of the speculum. Some authors have suggested (see Palmer, 1976) that the white bar is not as prominent in Mottled Duck populations in Florida, and this character has been used to separate the Florida birds and the Texas-Louisiana birds as different subspecies (see A.O.U. CheakZist of North American Birds, 5th Edition, 1957). However, Phillips examined a very large series of Mottled Duck specimens and concluded that because individual variations within the two populations were ·greater than between them, the Florida and Texas-Louisiana ponulations should not be considered taxonomically distinct (J. C. Phillips, Natural History of the Ducks, Vol. 2, 1923). The Nebraska bird shows very little, if any, white on the trailing edge of the speculum, with just a pale edging visible on the tips of the secondaries. The possibility that the minimal amount of white in the speculum of the Nebraska bird might indicate it was from non-migratory Florida stock and therefore most likely an escaped bird can be ruled out, as individual variation in the Texas-Louisiana population would be sufficient to account for this feature. The major identification concern with the Nebraska Mottled Duck (except for possible hybrids, see below) is conclusive separation from American Black Duck. The differences are largely in degree, although one difference which Ross Silcock, Tanya Bray, and Babs Padelford, “Mottled Duck in Nebraska,” from Nebraska Bird Review (June 1986) 54(2). Copyright 1986 Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union. Used by permission.40 Nebraska Bird Review is dependable is the amount of black bordering the speculum. American Black Duck has 11 greater secondary coverts bordering speculum (ie anterior edge of speculum,) with black ends, forming a bar or stripe; • . . the secondaries of the speculum with broad black ends, ... " (Palmer, 1976) The color photograph of the Nebraska bird shows no observable black either anteriorly or posteriorly bordering the speculum. Of course, a Mottled Duck showing any black in the speculum borders would pose a more difficult identification problem (see plate 8 in Bellrose, 1976). The absence of black in the Nebraska bird's speculum also rules out the possibility that the Nebraska bird was a hybrid of Mottled Duck and American Black Duck. Such hybrids are rare (Palmer, 1976), as one would expect from a study of the ranges of the two species, seeming especially unlikely in the Great Plains. Other possibilities to consider are hybridization between Mallard and American Black Duck and between Mallard and Mottled Duck. Johnsgard (Waterfowl of North America, 1975) states that "female hybrids between mallards and black ducks most resemble mottled ducks, but usually show some white on the greater secondary coverts, especially on the outer web ... ". We believe that the absence of white in the greater secondary coverts and on the tail feathers, as well as the unmarkd throat and greenish, mottled bill of the Nebraska bird rules out the possibility of hybrids involving Mallard, while the absence of black in the speculum borders rules out American Black Duck hybrids. We submitted the color photograph to Paul A. Johnsgard of the University of Nebraska - Lincoln Department of Life Sciences, who confirmed our identification (pers. comm.). Dr. Johnsgard also commented that he could "see no sign of hybrid origin" in the bird's plumage. We would like to thank Dr. Johnsgard for his contribution to this note. Ross Silcock, Box 300, Tabor, Iowa 51653 Tanya Bray, 9708 Grover, Omaha, Neb. 68124 Babs Padelford, 1405 Little John Road, Bellevue, Neb. 68005 

Mottled Duck in Nebraska

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Nebraska Bird Review Nebraska Ornithologists' Union
6-1986
Mottled Duck in Nebraska
W. Ross Silcock
Tabor, Iowa, silcock@rosssilcock.com
Tanya Bray
Omaha, Nebraska
Babs Padelford
Bellevue, Nebraska
Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nebbirdrev
Part of the Ornithology Commons, Poultry or Avian Science Commons, and the Zoology
Commons
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It
has been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Bird Review by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
Silcock, W. Ross; Bray, Tanya; and Padelford, Babs, "Mottled Duck in Nebraska" (1986). Nebraska Bird Review. 1240.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nebbirdrev/1240
Nebraska Bird Review 39 
MOTTLED DUCK IN NEBRASKA 
The two major U.S. populations of Mottled Duck occur in Florida and 
along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Texas, with local breeding inland to 
"southeast Colorado, western Kansas, Oklahoma (rarely), and northeast Texas" 
(A.O.U. Checklist of North American Birds, Sixth Edition, 1983). Palmer (Eand-
book of North American Birds, Vol. 2, 1976) notes that Mottled Duck bred in 
1963 at Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas, and that some individuals occur inland 
beyond the usual breeding range during the post-breeding period. Presumably 
these inland. records pertain to birds from the Texas-Louisiana population, 
as the Florida birds are generally considered non-migratory. Thus the occurrence 
of Mottled Duck in Nebraska is a possibility, especially in the fall. 
There is one Nebraska record, of a female which was winged by William 
Lemburg while he was hunting along the Loup River in Howard Co. 5 October 
1968 (NBR 48:88), Mr. Lemburg kept this hen in captivity for some time, 
raising several broods by mating her with a drake Mottled Duck obtained from 
Texas. 
Mr. Lemburg kindly sent us a color slide of the female, from which 
we had color prints made. These prints show the head, bill, and wing characters 
clearly enough for diagnostic indentification of the bird as a female Mottled 
Duck in Definitive Alternate plumage (see Palmer, 1976). This plumage is 
generally worn from late summer through winter, The photograph was taken 
in winter. 
Key features shown in the photograph are: the bill is "muted orange-yellow 
with dark olive spots or blotches on upper mandible, concentrated at the middle"; 
"innermost secondaries are blackish-brown, comparatively pointed, and very 
narrowly edged whitish buff to pale tan"; speculum essentially as in male, 
"cobalt-ultramarine or ultramarine-violet, the white band at trailing edge often 
reduced or absent" (descriptive phrases from Palmer, 1976). 
Comment is in order regarding the amount of white bordering the speculum 
in this species. Bellrose (Ducks, Geese and Swans of North America, 1976) shows 
(plate 8) the speculum of Mottled Duck with a noticeable white bar at the 
rear of the speculum. Some authors have suggested (see Palmer, 1976) that 
the white bar is not as prominent in Mottled Duck populations in Florida, and 
this character has been used to separate the Florida birds and the Texas-Louisiana 
birds as different subspecies (see A.O.U. CheakZist of North American Birds, 5th 
Edition, 1957). However, Phillips examined a very large series of Mottled 
Duck specimens and concluded that because individual variations within the 
two populations were ·greater than between them, the Florida and Texas-Louisiana 
ponulations should not be considered taxonomically distinct (J. C. Phillips, 
Natural History of the Ducks, Vol. 2, 1923). The Nebraska bird shows very 
little, if any, white on the trailing edge of the speculum, with just a pale 
edging visible on the tips of the secondaries. The possibility that the minimal 
amount of white in the speculum of the Nebraska bird might indicate it was 
from non-migratory Florida stock and therefore most likely an escaped bird 
can be ruled out, as individual variation in the Texas-Louisiana population 
would be sufficient to account for this feature. 
The major identification concern with the Nebraska Mottled Duck (except 
for possible hybrids, see below) is conclusive separation from American Black 
Duck. The differences are largely in degree, although one difference which 
Ross Silcock, Tanya Bray, and Babs Padelford, “Mottled Duck in Nebraska,” from 
Nebraska Bird Review (June 1986) 54(2). Copyright 1986 Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union. 
Used by permission.
40 Nebraska Bird Review 
is dependable is the amount of black bordering the speculum. American Black 
Duck has 11 greater secondary coverts bordering speculum (ie anterior edge 
of speculum,) with black ends, forming a bar or stripe; • . . the secondaries 
of the speculum with broad black ends, ... " (Palmer, 1976) The color photograph 
of the Nebraska bird shows no observable black either anteriorly or posteriorly 
bordering the speculum. Of course, a Mottled Duck showing any black in 
the speculum borders would pose a more difficult identification problem (see 
plate 8 in Bellrose, 1976). The absence of black in the Nebraska bird's speculum 
also rules out the possibility that the Nebraska bird was a hybrid of Mottled 
Duck and American Black Duck. Such hybrids are rare (Palmer, 1976), as 
one would expect from a study of the ranges of the two species, seeming especially 
unlikely in the Great Plains. 
Other possibilities to consider are hybridization between Mallard and American 
Black Duck and between Mallard and Mottled Duck. Johnsgard (Waterfowl of 
North America, 1975) states that "female hybrids between mallards and black 
ducks most resemble mottled ducks, but usually show some white on the greater 
secondary coverts, especially on the outer web ... ". We believe that the 
absence of white in the greater secondary coverts and on the tail feathers, 
as well as the unmarkd throat and greenish, mottled bill of the Nebraska bird 
rules out the possibility of hybrids involving Mallard, while the absence of 
black in the speculum borders rules out American Black Duck hybrids. 
We submitted the color photograph to Paul A. Johnsgard of the University 
of Nebraska - Lincoln Department of Life Sciences, who confirmed our identification 
(pers. comm.). Dr. Johnsgard also commented that he could "see no sign 
of hybrid origin" in the bird's plumage. We would like to thank Dr. Johnsgard 
for his contribution to this note. 
Ross Silcock, Box 300, Tabor, Iowa 51653 
Tanya Bray, 9708 Grover, Omaha, Neb. 68124 
Babs Padelford, 1405 Little John Road, Bellevue, Neb. 68005 


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Mottled Duck in Nebraska

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