29 Ducks in Connecticut
29 ducks can be found in Connecticut. Some are seen year-round while some are seasonal, and some are rarities just passing through. No matter when you find them, ducks are beautiful waterfowl and are fun to watch, photograph or hunt.
Ducks, swans, and geese are part of the bird world also known as Waterfowl. Other birds that are considered waterfowl are loons, grebes, and coots.
With most birds, males are more colorful and flashier than females, and ducks mostly maintain that trend. Male ducks, called Drakes, show off their beautiful plumage in the breeding season, while the females (Hens) are pretty drab.
For information on other birds that you can see in Connecticut, see our articles on Birdyard Birds in Connecticut, Woodpeckers in Connecticut, Owls in Connecticut, and Hawks in Connecticut.
Types of Ducks
Ducks in the Nutmeg State (and everywhere else) can be divided into groups by their feeding habits:
Dabbling Ducks are primarily found in fresh water and can be identified as dabblers by their habit of tipping their heads down and butt up when they feed. If their asses are in the air; they are dabbling ducks.
Diving ducks will get themselves wet at the same time. You can find these in fresh and salt water, on lakes and streams as well as bays, inlets, and oceans.
Sea ducks are definitely diving ducks. They can stay down for long periods of time. Most live on the open ocean or on offshore islands during the summer and come into the coastal waters in winter.
Dabbling Ducks
!!! Going down to the local pond to feed the ducks? No bread, please! Bread has absolutely no nutritional value for waterfowl, and causes a disease known as “Angel Wing”, which prevents the birds from flying and makes them a “sitting duck” for predators.
Bring them cracked corn or commercial duck feed instead. The waterfowl will thank you for it.
1. Wood Duck
Scientific Name: Aix sponsa Size: 18.5 inches
Description
Small, compact ducks are usually seen in pairs or solo, but almost never in big flocks. They are usually found on quiet lakes, ponds, and streams.
In Connecticut, Wood ducks are usually seen year-round.
The male is beautifully colored, with an iridescent green head, cinnamon body, red eyes, bold white markings, and a slightly domed head. Female Wood Ducks are brown with distinctive white eyeliner markings on their face. Both have a slightly longer tail.
Wood Ducks nest in tree cavities and man-made nest boxes above the ground to keep their young secure from predators.
Bird Notes
When they are ready to leave the nest, the young Wood Ducks literally take a leap of faith – they jump out of their nest, hit the ground, and waddle off in search of water.
2. Mallard Duck
Scientific Name: Anas platyrhynchos Size: 23 inches
Description
The most common species of duck in Connecticut and up and down the East Coast.
Male Mallards have distinctive iridescent green heads, white neck rings, brown breasts, and pale bodies while the females are all brown. Both have bright orange feet.
Mallards have blue patches on their wings, called a speculum, that are mostly seen in flight but can occasionally be observed when the ducks are going about their other doings.
These ducks are the quintessential dabbling duck. They eat seeds that have fallen to the bottom of shallow ponds, nest on the ground on dry land, and quack.
Genetically, Mallards will cross with other wild duck species (like American Black Duck, Muscovy), but also with ducks such as Domestic Mallards, Domestic Muscovy, Pekin, and other domesticated breeds.
These hybrids may end up looking like a Mallard, something that resembles a Mallard – or nothing like a Mallard at all.
Bird Notes
Mallards are adventurous. They will travel from their pond to your neighborhood and may make their nest on your lawn.
They are also opportunists and love to swim in your pool, uncovered or covered (if there’s standing water on your cover), and like playing by lawn sprinklers.
If you live near any water source, be on the lookout for Mom Mallard leading her little ones back to the pond.
3. American Black Duck
Scientific Name: Anas rubripes Size: 23 inches
Description
American Black Duck resemble female Mallards, but they are slightly smaller and their feathers and eye stripe are darker than those found on the female Mallard. They have grayish bills and orange legs and feet.
These ducks show a purple-blue speculum. They are year-round residents in Connecticut.
Since American Black Ducks cross easily with the Mallard, there are many hybrids. And like Mallards, American Black Ducks quack. They are ground nesters and seed eaters but they also like some animal proteins mixed in.
Bird Notes
The American Black Duck was the model for Daffy Duck (he’s black, but they’re really not).
4. American Wigeon Duck
Scientific Name: americana Size: 20 inches
Description
A squat duck with a pinkish-brown body and a small bill.
Males have a white or buffy stripe on their foreheads and an iridescent green splash starting behind the eye. The female has a dull gray head. While the female American Wigeons have a husky-sounding quack, the males whistle. This is a duck you will hear before you see it.
Like most dabbling ducks, American Wigeons feed on pond vegetation and are ground nesters.
Bird Notes
If you see an American Wigeon with a rufous head and a buff-colored forehead stripe, it may actually be a cousin from across the ocean, the Eurasian Wigeon. Eurasian Wigeons turn up occasionally as rare winter visitors among the groups of their American Wigeon relatives.
5. Eurasian Wigeon
Scientific Name: Anas Penelope Size: 20 inches
Description
Similar to American Wigeon, the drake has a rufous head with a buff-colored stripe starting at the forehead. The breast is light rufous and the sides and belly are light grays in breeding plumage. The breast turns light brown in the non-breeding season.
Female Eurasian Wigeon looks like female American Wigeon, so this identification isn’t easy. The Eurasians tend to have a warmer brown on their heads and a gray underwing when seen in flight.
They are not as numerous in Connecticut as their American cousins but will be found mixed in with American Wigeon during the winter months. Eurasian Wigeon males whistle.
Bird Notes
American and Eurasian Wigeons hybridize easily, so consider this if you see something that kind of looks like a combination of the two species.
Wigeons are social and like to be around other ducks, which is why you should always scan a group of American Wigeons for a hidden Eurasian.
6. Gadwall
Scientific Name: Anas strepera Size: 20 inches
Description
A stocky duck with a rather subdued gray-brown plumage and yellow feet. Gadwall is usually found in Connecticut during migration.
The male has black feathers on its rump in the breeding season. If you see a dull brown duck with a black butt, it has to be a male Gadwall.
If you find the ducks with the black butts, the less flashy brown females near them are likely female Gadwalls.
Gadwalls are ground nesters, like most dabbling ducks.
Bird Notes
Gregarious ducks, Gadwall like to hang out with other duck species, especially American Wigeon. You can pick them out of a crowd by the male’s black rump.
7. Northern Pintail
Scientific Name: Anas acuta Size: 21 inches
Description
A slender, elegant dabbling duck with a very long tail and neck and a sleek, clean look.
The breeding male has a brown head with a black bill, a long white neck and breast, and a gray body while the female is dull buffy brown with a gray bill.
Northern Pintails have a bronze or dark brown speculum.
Nest sites are on the ground; the average clutch contains about 8 eggs.
Bird Notes
Northern Pintails are called “Greyhound of the Air” due to their long, slender, streamlined flight profile.
8. Northern Shoveler
Scientific Name: Anas clypeata Size: 19 inches
Description
Large dabbling duck with an unmistakable long, spoon-shaped bill.
The males have an iridescent green head, while the chest, breast, and rump with a chestnut side and belly. Female Northern Shovelers are speckled brown.
The characteristic feature of the Northern Shoveler is its spoon-shaped bill, which is dark gray (black in breeding season) in the male and olive and light orange in the female.
Shovelers use their broad bills to filter seeds, invertebrates, aquatic insects, and small mollusks and crustaceans from the mud.
Northern Shovelers are ground nesters. The female voice is a short, deep quack. Males are more nasal.
Bird Notes
No other dabbling duck has a bill as long as a Northern Shovelers.
9. Blue-winged Teal Duck
Scientific Name: Anas discors Size: 15.5 inches
Description
A small, slender duck with beautiful male breeding plumage. Found during migration throughout the Nutmeg State, it is not as numerous as other winter-visiting waterfowl and usually shows up in late Spring.
The males have a distinctive white crescent on their face, dark blue head, dark bill and white hip patch on a dark mottled brown body; the mottled brown female has a dark eye stripe and a white patch on her face close to the bill.
When in flight, they can be identified by their sky-pale blue secondary feathers and iridescent green speculum. Their flight profile is small, slender, and fast.
Teal are ground nesters. Female Blue-winged Teal has a harsh, squeaky nasal quack while male Teal has a high-pitched whistle.
Bird Notes
Blue-winged Teals prefer a wetland habitat with shallow marshy ponds and mudflats and like being close to edges, where they can pick out seeds and other vegetation.
10. Green-winged Teal Duck
Scientific Name: Anas crecca Size: 14 inches
Description
The smallest of the dabbling ducks has a short neck and slender, short bill. Green-winged Teal can be easily identified in all plumages by their size.
The breeding male sports a rufous head with a bright iridescent green splash starting at the eye. He has a white vertical bar on his shoulder against a light grayish body and a pinkish-brown breast.
Females look like little female Mallards, with grey legs and feet, a darker head, and dark eyeliner.
In flight, Green-winged Teal shows a green speculum. They are fast flyers with quick wingbeats.
Green-winged Teal are winter visitors to the Nutmeg State; they have a preference for the state’s large coastal marshes.
Bird Notes
The Green-winged Teal is a very small duck. Even when in a large mixed flock, the Green-winged Teal is the tiniest duck on the pond.
Diving Ducks
11. Ring-neck Duck
Scientific Name: Aythya collatis Size: 7 inches
Description
A medium-sized diving duck is usually found in freshwater. Look on shallow ponds and wetlands for these migrants in late winter.
The male has a black head with a noticeable “bump” towards the top, a black back and rump, a light gray body, and a white vertical splash between the body and the breast. There is a white stripe between his head and a light gray bill with a black tip.
There is a ring around the Ring-necked Duck, but it is brown and very hard to see from a distance.
The female’s back is a medium-gray over a light brown body. She has a white eye ring, and a white spot between her head and her bill is the same as the male.
The Ring-neck Duck likes to nest in woody-edged marshes. They eat mostly aquatic plants, along with clams and snails.
Bird Notes
See Birds Notes on #13 to find some tips on identifying these birds.
12. Lesser Scaup
Scientific Name: Aythya affinis Size: 16.5 inches
Description
Diving ducks are found in freshwater ponds and also on lakes and bays. Lesser Scaups feed primarily on clams and other marine prey but also eat vegetation.
In Connecticut, Lesser Scaup is seen during migration.
The male has a black head (which may show a purplish iridescence in certain light), neck, and breast like the Ring-neck Duck, but his back is light gray barring a larger proportion of a white body and a larger black rear. He has a blue bill but no white strip between the bill and his head.
The female, however, has a white crescent around her bill, a dark-brown head, neck, and breast, a brown-gray body, and a darker brown back. The Lesser Scaup has a sort of square-top head.
They like to nest near lakes and ponds in marsh-like vegetation. Lesser Scaup feeds primarily on clams and other marine prey but also eats the vegetation.
Bird Notes
See Birds Notes on #13 to find some tips on identifying these birds.
13. Greater Scaup
Scientific Name: Aythya marila Size: 18 inches
Description
Diving ducks are found on saltwater bays and lakes, often in large flocks. Greater Scaup is seen in Connecticut during winter months.
The male has a black head (which may show a greenish iridescence in certain light), neck, and breasts like the Ring-neck Duck and Lesser Scaup, but his back has light gray barring on top of a white body and a larger black rump. He has a blue bill but no white strip between the bill and his head.
The female has a white crescent around her bill, a dark-brown head, neck, and breast, a brown-gray body, and a darker brown back.
If this sounds similar to number 12 above, it is. There is not much difference between Lesser and Greater Scaup, so it’s hard to tell them apart.
Greater Scaup has rounded heads; from certain angles, it almost looks like they are slouching. Even this doesn’t help much when trying to make a positive identification, but hopefully, our Bird Notes will.
Bird Notes
Ring-neck Duck, Lesser Scaup, and sometimes Greater Scaup can be found on the same body of water, making the identification of each species difficult.
The male Ring-neck Duck has a black back, its bill has a black tip, and it has a white stripe between its face and its bill, and the females have a white eye ring.
The male Lesser Scaup has a light gray back, no black tip on the bill, and a squarish black head with a purplish iridescence when seen in good light. The female Lesser Scaup has no white eye ring.
The Greater Scaup has a rounded black head with green iridescence and a slightly lighter gray back than the Lesser Scaup. The female has a lighter brown back.
Usually, Greater Scaup is greater in salt water, Lesser Scaup is greater than Greater Scaup in fresh water, and Ring-neck is greater than Lesser and Greater Scaup in fresh water.
Still confused? Don’t feel bad – even the seasoned birder has a hard time with this group, especially with the two Scaup species.
14. Ruddy Duck
Scientific Name: Oxyura jamaicensis Size: 15 inches
Description
Small, stocky, large-headed duck with a stiff, cocked-up tail. Winter visitors are fun to watch, especially in breeding plumage.
Male Ruddy Ducks have a black cap on their heads, white cheeks, rufous body, and blue bill in full breeding plumage; non-breeding male still has distinctive white cheeks and black cap over a brownish-gray body.
Female Ruddy Ducks look like the non-breeding male but with a brown cap and a white cheek that has a brown horizontal stripe across it.
Their tails are stiff and spiky and stand up when they are swimming. Their small, compact silhouette looks like a rubber duck, and they float like rubber ducks in a tub.
Bird Notes
Serious night feeders, Ruddy Duck can often be found napping with their heads tucked in and their tails straight up during the day.
15. Canvasback
Scientific Name: Aythya valisineria Size: 21 inches
Description
Large duck with distinctive sloping head, long, tapering black bill, red eye, and a long neck. Canvasbacks are winter visitors to Connecticut.
The male has a chestnut-red head and neck and black breast on a white body in full breeding plumage (light grayish brown in non-breeding season) while female heads are light brown in the breeding season.
The Canvasback has a sloping head that makes it stand out among the diving ducks, with the exception of the Eiders.
Canvasback likes to nest on small ponds. In mating season, the male Canvasback makes a kind of weird hooting to attract his mate.
They eat vegetation and aquatic invertebrates.
Bird Notes
The Canvasback is one of the largest diving ducks and has a memorable silhouette, making it stand out when viewed in bad lighting.
16. Redhead Duck
Scientific Name: Aythya americana Size: 19 to 20 inches
Description
Redhead Ducks are beautiful, striking diving ducks, with the male’s cinnamon head contrasting with their light gray bodies.
The male Redhead has a bright rufous head, a blue bill with a black tip, a gray body with a slightly rounded back, and a black chest and rump. The female Redhead is a duller brown with a blueish-gray bill, with the same rounded head and body as the male.
The Redhead feeds on seeds, aquatic weeds, water lilies, grasses, and wild rice. They also go for mollusks, aquatic insects, and small fish.
Bird Notes
Redheads are social and are usually found on lakes and bays in the company of other species like Ring-neck Duck, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, and Canvasback.
17. Bufflehead Duck
Scientific Name: Bucephala albeola Size: 13 to 16 inches
Description
North America’s smallest diving duck is found in both fresh and saltwater during the winter months.
Male buffleheads have a large white patch on the back of their head, a white body, and a black back. The female is mostly grey and black with a white splash on the cheek
They stay together in small groups and are often seen cruising along in a flotilla.
Buffleheads are cavity nesters. Their diet is mostly mollusks, crustaceans, and insect larvae.
Bird Notes
Buffleheads appear like the proverbial rubber duck, bobbing up and down on the water. Notice that when they dive, there is always a sentinel that stays on top to look for signs of danger
18. Common Goldeneye
Scientific Name: Bucephela clangula Size: 18.5 inches
Description
Diving ducks with noticeable golden eyes are found on both fresh and saltwater during Connecticut winters.
Male Common Goldeneye has a white body, black rump, greenish-black iridescent heads, and a white spot beneath their eyes.
The female Common Goldeneye has a light gray body, dark rump, and brown head.
Common Goldeneye has a broad white wing patch very noticeable in flight.
Bird Notes
Common Goldeneye’s wings make a metallic whistling sound when they are in flight.
19. Barrow’s Goldeneye
Scientific Name: Bucephala islandica Size: 18 inches
Description
A diving duck with a prominent golden eye is found in both fresh and salt water. These are rare in the Nutmeg State, often found as a single bird among flocks of Common Goldeneye or Bufflehead.
Breeding males are similar to the Common Goldeneye, but where the Common has a thin black back and black lines trailing down his flank, the Barrow’s has a broad black back and white “windowpanes” on the shoulders.
Female Barrow’s Goldeneyes are similar to Common Goldeneye, but their silhouette is a short-necked duck with a short bill as opposed to the Common female’s short neck but longer, straighter bills.
The other main field mark for Barrow’s Goldeneye is the shape of the white patch on the faces of both the males and females. While Common Goldeneye has a spot, Barrow’s Goldeneye males have a crescent on their faces close to the bills.
The best way to see the difference between the two species is with a spotting scope. Most birders are a friendly bunch and will allow you to take a look.
Bird Notes
Barrow’s Goldeneye like cold, arctic climates and are found along Connecticut and the North Atlantic coasts during the winter months, but no further south than New York, where they are rare. (Remember, the south is relative to where you start, so traveling to New York is like going to Florida for a bird that breeds in Alaska, Maritime Canada, and Iceland.
Mergansers: Mergansers are diving ducks with long, thin bills for holding fish. There are three species of Mergansers found throughout Connecticut.
If you see any of these birds in Spring, you may be lucky enoug54rfdvrh to see the Merganser Dance. Males of all three species line up to impress the girls by bobbing heads, extending their necks, rising out of the water, snapping their bills, and making weird grunting sounds.
20. Hooded Merganser
Scientific Name: Lophodytes cucullatus Size: 18 inches
Description
Small Merganser with long, slender bills is affectionately called “Hoodies” by birders. Mostly found on ponds and bays, especially if they have woods around them.
Male Hooded Mergansers have a cinnamon body, black head and back, and the distinctive black-and-white hood that, when closed, is somewhat rectangular in shape and rounded when opened.
The female has a long tail, a dark gray body, and a head with ample frosted brown feathers trailing behind the head.
Resourceful birds, Hooded Mergansers utilize old woodpecker holes to lay their eggs in. Mergansers are mostly fish eaters and also consume crustaceans and insects.
Bird Notes
Female Hooded Mergansers always look like they’ve had a bad hair day, wet or dry. The female “Hoodies” are the neatest-looking of the Merganser girls.
21. Common Merganser
Scientific Name: Mergus merganser Size: 25 inches
Description
Large Merganser with long, slender orange bills.
The males have a white body, sleek iridescent green head, and black back. They glide on the water with a clean, regal look.
Females are gray with a cinnamon head. Their head feathers form a short crest. They can have that same “bad hair day” look of all the female Mergansers, but they never seem to appear as disheveled as the Hoodies and Red-breasted do.
Bird Notes
Common Mergansers can have big broods, and will often adopt other chicks found without mothers. They will line up behind the mother or get up on her back for a free ride.
22. Red-breasted Merganser
Scientific Name: Mergus serrator Size: 23 inches
Description
The largest Merganser. Red-breasted Mergansers, also known as Sawbills, are seen in Connecticut during migration.
Both Red-breasted Mergansers have long, slim serrated bills. The male bill is red while the female’s bill is orange.
These large ducks sit low in the water. Loons also sit low in the water. Loons are big, heavy-bodied birds with thick bills. Red-breasted Mergansers are much smaller birds with lighter bodies. You shouldn’t mistake a Red-breasted Merganser for a Common Loon.
Red-breasted Mergansers have the worst hair days in the Merganser family. While the males can look like they’ve just gotten out of bed, the females look like they’ve just driven cross country in a convertible. It gets worse when they get wet.
Bird Notes
Red-breasted Mergansers need to eat seventeen fish a day on average. That means they have to dive between 250-300 times every day to meet their nutritional requirements.
Sea Ducks
23. Long-tailed Duck
Scientific Name: Clangula hymalis Size: 20.5 inches
Description
Whether they are diving, flying, or just hanging out on the water, Long-tailed Ducks always look like they are having fun. You’ll have to be along the Connecticut coast in winter to find them, but what’s a little cold when you’re watching these happy-go-lucky beautiful little ducks!
For the most part, Long-tailed Ducks are black or brown with white patches and markings.
The male Long-tailed Duck is strikingly patterned, changing plumage throughout the year. Breeding drakes have white heads, necks, and breasts and a black patch on their cheeks.
Females are mostly brown with white patches.
Long-tailed Ducks are great divers and prefer mollusks and crustaceans. They are fast on the wing and fly lower than most other ducks.
Bird Notes
Yodel-Ay-Hee-Hoo!!
These ducks are so much fun to watch! Long-tailed Ducks dive into the water like little daredevils. And they yodel! You may not be able to see them, but you can hear them loud and clear.
24. Harlequin Duck
Scientific Name: Histrionicus histrionicus Size: 16.5 inches
Description
Compact, small-billed duck that could easily vie for the title of the most beautiful duck. Harlequins love rocky coasts, jetties, and anywhere you can find rough, turbulent waters. Look for them on the coast during the winter months.
Male Harlequins stand out in the duck world – no other duck looks like them. Their bodies are slate-blue, the sides and flanks are chestnuts, and these areas are separated by white stripes. Add some white spots on the face and neck, and you have one fabulous duck.
Females are brown with white spots on the face and behind the eye.
Harlequin Ducks make squeaking noises when they are together. This is why they are called “Sea Mouse”.
These birds love rough water. They can be found around jetties, along rocky coasts, and on fast-moving rivers.
Bird Notes
Harlequin Ducks are often found with broken bones from being pushed around in rough waters. As evidenced by museum specimens and X-rays, many have healed fractures.
25. Common Eider
Scientific Name: Somateria mollissima Size: 24 inches
Description
The largest duck in the northern hemisphere. They are heavy-bodied ducks with a classic, wedge-shaped, sloping head.
Look for Common Eider along the coast during winter months.
Common Eider males show numerous plumages between their first year and adulthood, all variations of brown and white. The breeding male is white with a black belly, rump, and a cap on his head.
Female Common Eiders are brown with barred plumage and a pale green bill.
Bird Notes
Do you sleep under Eider Down comforters or Duvets? This is where all those fluffy warm feathers come from.
Common Eiders fly low to the water in a straight line. Yes, these ducks are in a row.
26. King Eider
Scientific Name: Somateria spectabilis Size: 22 inches
Description
Northern visitors are occasionally found in Connecticut during winter, often mixed in with Common Eider flocks. While identifying the male is easy, figuring out if you’re looking at a female Common, female King, or immature of both species is difficult.
There is no mistaking a male King Eider in breeding plumage. The blue-white head and prominent yellow forehead stand out. Their bodies are black with a white neck and chest and a white hip patch.
Adult female King Eiders are similar to female Common (# 22 above), brown all over, but King Eiders have a shorter bill and the barred brown feathers have a chevron pattern. The head has a less Roman profile and a slightly “smiling” appearance.
Bird Notes
King Eiders are deep divers, hunting for mollusks, crustaceans, and aquatic insects, with an occasional side of eelgrass and algae.
27. Black Scoter
Scientific Name: Melanitta nigra Size:19 inches
Description
The Black Scoter is the smallest and most compact of the Scoter family. In Connecticut, they can be found only during winter months.
They are dark sea ducks with short bills, usually found floating in rafts on the open salt water.
Males have yellow-orange bills and are all black; females are dark with whitish patches on the face and cheeks.
Black Scoters dive for clams and other crustaceans.
Bird Notes
Scoters are very vocal, making a whistling sound that carries over the water.
28. White-winged Scoter
Scientific Name: Melanitta fusca Size: 21 inches
Description
The largest Scoter, they are usually found in large rafts floating along with other members of the Scoter family. White-winged Scoter has a long bill and a somewhat concave head.
Seasonal visitors to Connecticut, White-winged Scoters are found in winter months.
Males are black on top over a dark brown body, with a distinctive white “comma” below their eyes. The bills are orange and slightly puffed close to the head.
Female White-winged Scoter is dark brownish-black. Like the other female Scoters, they have two white patches on the face, one behind the eye and the other on the face between the eyes.
The white speculum on both sexes is an easy identification mark, not only when they are on the wing, but also when diving or sitting in the water.
Bird Notes
White-winged Scoters are usually found in mixed rafts along with Black Scoters. The male White-winged Scoter’s eye comma stands out, so if you count all the black ducks with white eye markings, the rest of the Scoters in the group must be Black Scoters. (This tip is courtesy of a waterfowl census-taker).
29. Surf Scoter
Scientific Name: Melanitta perspicillata Size: 20 inches
Description
The Scoter was found closest to shore and the easiest to identify. Look for them in the winter months.
Surf Scoter males are all black with a white patch on the forehead and a larger one on the nape of the neck. They have heavy triangular, multi-colored, bulbous bills that stand out among the sea ducks.
Male Surf Scoter bills appear orange from afar but are actually black, white, red, and yellow. They are wider and puffier at the top and taper towards the tip, making their heads look like a wedge.
The female Surf Scoter has two white patches on her face, one in the front is long and narrow while the other sits behind and beneath the eye.
Surf Scoter like to be where the breaking waves are, so they are usually the Scoter found closest to shore. They dive for crustaceans, mollusks, small fish, and aquatic vegetation.
Bird Notes
An old name for the Surf Scoter used to be “Skunk Head”.
First-winter males do not have the large, protruding bill of mature adults.
Other ducks that may be found in Connecticut but are usually rare
If you see a species of duck that appears to be a Ring-billed Duck but it has a long feather growing from the back of its head, that’s a Tufted Duck, a very rare visitor in Connecticut.
Fun Facts – Where’s the White?
White seems to be a color that most waterfowl have in common. This method of identifying species of waterfowl by where the white comes from the Cornell Bird Lab.
The method works like this – do you see white on the duck you’re observing? It’s in different areas on many duck species
- White-winged Scoters have a white comma under their eye and a very distinctive white speculum that can be seen in flight and when resting on the waves (and females have white face patches).
- Surf Scoters have a white patch on their foreheads and the back of their necks in addition to their huge bills (face patches on females apply here too).
- Black Scoter males have no white, and females have face patches.
Using the location of the white markings, you can see how to identify each of the Scoter species by seeing where the white is: a comma under the eye is a White-winged, forehead, and neck patches are Surf, and no white at all means Black Scoter. Eventually, you will become familiar with the shapes and locations of the face patches on the females too, and become an expert Scoter spotter.
Where to find Ducks in Connecticut
Ducks are waterfowl, so the best places to find ducks in Connecticut are on ponds, lakes, rivers, bays, and beaches.
Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal like marshes – it doesn’t matter if they’re fresh or salty. Good places for these stunning dabblers are the Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center at Milford Point. Blue-winged Teal have been seen at Shell Beach in Guilford, the Portland Fairgrounds, and Little and Cemetery Ponds in Litchfield.
The Connecticut coast is the northernmost winter range of both the Canvasback and Redhead. Canvasbacks are the more common species seen among the two. Look for them in New Haven, Greenwich, Black Rock, and Norwalk Harbors.
Long Island Sound is a prime viewing area for Long-tailed Ducks, Goldeneye, Eiders, and Scoters.
Stratford Point, Milford Point, White Memorial Foundation, Station 43, Hammonasett Beach State Park, and Harkness Memorial State Park are also good for waterfowl.
National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) are awesome places to search for ducks.
Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife Refuge, Westbrook, is a good place to start. Just a few miles west is Hammonasset Beach State Park, which has great rocky coastland (Meig’s Point) for sea duck viewing in winter.
*** Please consider purchasing a Federal Duck Stamp. ***
The $25 fee gets you a beautiful commemorative stamp featuring paintings of waterfowl. It also provides the network of National Wildlife Refuges with funds to maintain and preserve valuable wetland habitats.
Showing your Federal Duck Stamp covers any entrance or parking fees at most National Wildlife Refuges.
Conclusion
As far as resources for birding in the Nutmeg State, I can’t say enough about Connecticut Audubon. They run some beautiful centers throughout the state, and their Eco-Travel unit offers day and overnight trips throughout New England and the Atlantic states. Great guides, good birds, and good birding companions.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this little guide to the ducks you will find in Connecticut. All you need to start is a decent pair of binoculars and a good location. Get out there are see all the wonderful ducks found in Connecticut.
