FLORIDA DUCK 171 



SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION 



ADULTS, BOTH SEXES. General effect: A large, mottled-brown duck. Chief 

 distinguishing features (a) hind toe without lobe, (b) speculum, variable, from 

 green with strong purplish gloss to almost solid purple, bordered in front and 

 behind with black bars, and often narrowly behind with white, (c) chin and 

 throat, and often cheek below eye, pale buffy without streaks, (d) bill of male, 

 bright yellow or yellow orange, nail and line along base of ridge and spot at 

 base of bill, black; bill of female, dull orange, with blackish spots, and black 

 spot at base, (e) broad, paler edges to feathers of back, (f) feet, brilliant orange 

 to orange red, duller and slightly more orange in female. 



From the other mottled-brown ducks it is separated as follows: Female Mallard 

 and New Mexican Duck have prominent white bars in front of and behind speculum 

 though white bar in front of speculum in New Mexican Duck is sometimes buffy 

 or indistinct, or may be entirely lacking. Its near neighbour, the Mottled Ducks, 

 has somewhat more heavily-streaked cheeks, chin and throat, and black spot at 

 base of bill is less distinct. Female Pintail has blue-grey feet, long thin neck 

 and pointed tail. From the Black Duck it is told by features (c) and (d), and 

 by having a much paler general coloration of body due to broader, paler edges 

 to the feathers. The Florida Duck usually has white tips to the secondaries, which, 

 also, is frequently the case with the Black. 



JUVENILE. See Mottled Duck. 



FIELD MARKS 



Same as those of Black Duck, except for general coloration of body plumage 

 which more closely resembles that of female Mallard. The Florida Duck is sel- 

 dom encountered outside its restricted range. 



LIFE STORY 



The Florida Duck is abundant in the southern and central portions 

 Florida. Here it finds sanctuary in the dense tangle of vegetation 



and impenetrable saw-grass sloughs surrounding the extensive marshes 

 of the St. John's River, where it feeds, breeds, and successfully conceals 

 itself from its enemies. 



The species was first described by Ridgway in 1874, when it and the 



Mottled Duck were together separated from the Black or Dusky Duck as 



: was then known. Later the Florida and the Mottled Ducks were 



shown to be distinct subspecies, the latter form being restricted to 



Louisiana and Texas. 



The Florida Duck closely resembles the Black Duck in appearance 

 and habits, and m life is hard to distinguish from it, especially so as it 

 shows in flight the same white wing-lining against the dark body, a mark 

 so distinctive of the Black Duck. It is less shy than the Black/probably 

 because it is not so systematically hunted. Closely allied as it is to both 

 the Mottled and the Black Duck, it is not known to cross with either. 



The food of the two subspecies, the Florida and the Mottled Ducks 

 here dealt with conjointly. It is interesting to note that these ducks 



