Home › Volumes › Game Birds › Mergansers; River and Pond Ducks; Sea and Bay Ducks; Geese; Swans
Sea and Bay Ducks
Images coming soon.
The lobe, or web, hanging free on the hind toe is the characteristic looked for by scientists to separate these birds from the preceding group, the transverse scales on the front of the foot being common to both subfamilies. The toes and webs of these sea ducks are noticeably larger than those of the river ducks, owing to their greater exercise; and the feet are also placed a little farther back, which increases their facility in diving and swimming. Several of the species associate with the river ducks in still waters, the subfamily not being so exclusively maritime as its name would imply. Indeed, there seem to be notable exceptions to almost every general rule that might be applied to it except the one that relates to the formation of the toes. It is often said that the flesh of sea ducks, that feed more on mollusks, crustaceans, and other marine food, although not on fish, and less upon grain and other vegetable matter, is coarser, less palatable, and even sometimes inedible; but what of the canvasback duck, that peerless delicacy of the epicure?
Red-headed Duck.
Canvasback.
Greater Scaup Duck, or Broadbill.
Lesser Scaup, or Creek Broadbill.
Ring-necked Duck.
Golden-eye, or Whistler.
Barrow's Golden-eye.
Buffle-head, or Butter-ball.
Old Squaw, or South Southerly.
Harlequin Duck.
American Eider Duck.
King Eider.
American Scoter, or Black Coot.
White-winged Scoter.
Surf Scoter.
Ruddy Duck.