# Duck ID



## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

I went duck hunting for the first time last year and I'm really not good at identifying ducks. I was out fishing and had a chance to shoot a couple ducks and took advantage.

I'm not really sure what the ducks are. I was hunting/fishing near Duchesne.

I think Duck 2 is a Green-Wing Teal Hen. But, I'm not sure. Can anyone help me identify these ducks?

This is duck 1























This is Duck 2


----------



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

ruddy and a cinny


----------



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

and what's with the gloves? Get them hands dirty!


----------



## duck jerky (Sep 8, 2007)

ringneck hen and cinny teal


----------



## Billcollector (Oct 31, 2007)

duck jerky said:


> ringneck hen and cinny teal


Correct


----------



## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

duck jerky said:


> ringneck hen and cinny teal


Indeed, and in my opinion, the two best-tasting ducks you can find in Utah.


----------



## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

So based on what I've read, the ring-neck duck has a white stripe on its beak. I didn't see a white stripe on this duck's beak. Unless I shot it off. 

And just for the record, the gloves were because I had the camera and I didn't have a lot of time to clean up before I was out the door.


----------



## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Red head Hen and a cinny hen...


----------



## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

Dodger said:


> So based on what I've read, the ring-neck duck has a white stripe on its beak. I didn't see a white stripe on this duck's beak. Unless I shot it off.
> 
> And just for the record, the gloves were because I had the camera and I didn't have a lot of time to clean up before I was out the door.


In my limited experience, the white ring on the bill is more prominent on some hens than others. I've shot a couple hens with virtually no ring on the bill at all.

Ducks are most reliably identified by their wing feathers. An identification resource I like is Ducks at a Distance.

Compare the wings of a ringneck: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/duckdist/ringneck.htm

with the wings of a redhead:
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/duckdist/redhead.htm

The wings of the redheads we shot on youth hunt day (as verified by law enforcement personnel at the bird refuge) weren't nearly as dark as they are on your bird. Thus, I'm sticking with hen ringneck as my diagnosis, although I'm certainly no expert and could be wrong.


----------



## kev (Feb 7, 2008)

> Red head Hen and a cinny hen...


+1

Grey on the wing is the give away on duck 1. #2 is tougher, but the bill tends to be the give away.

Red head and Cinniamon teal. Obiviously #1 is a hen, I won't argue #2 because I'm tired of getting my teeth kicked in over this stuff, but I'd bet $5 it's drake, but I don't really care either, both eat the same.

Also I'm going to suggest, unless you know what you've shot you should limit yourself to a 2 duck limit, then you won't ever be over the limit on any duck. That or get better at ID.

Later,
Kev


----------



## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

juvie hen tufted duck, and hen falcated teal. ;-)


----------



## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Both look like coots to me.


----------



## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

Kev, just curious, what says drake about the cinnie to you? I find that it's nearly impossible to tell young drakes and hens apart until they color up a bit.


----------



## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

Based on the other pictures I've seen on the internet, I'm leaning towards a Redhead hen and a cinny hen. Tex's vote gets a little bit more weight. 

I doubt the cinny was a drake unless it was a very young one. Most of the other side of it's head is missing, so hard to tell on that one.

Also, the reason there are only 2 ducks there is because I didn't know what they were and quit so I didn't go over any limit.


----------



## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> Red head Hen and a cinny hen...


 i agree with Tex here


----------



## Whiskey Hound (Sep 30, 2013)

Dude....don't shoot Seagulls!!-_O-


----------



## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

They are both ducks:grin:


----------



## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

kev said:


> +1
> 
> Grey on the wing is the give away on duck 1. #2 is tougher, but the bill tends to be the give away.
> 
> ...


Could you clarify "Grey on the wing is the give away on duck 1" please? I always thought that there were a number of birds with grey on the wing, ringnecks included.


----------



## Fin-S-Fish (Nov 5, 2007)

That does look like a hen redhead. It's clear the 2nd is a cinnamon but I'm not as good with cinnamons, it seems eclispe drake though because the hen is lighter. Eclipse and juvenile mallard drakes are easy to tell even if you don't see the beak in the photo.


----------



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

don't redheads and ringnecks have a narrower bill? I guessed ruddy duck because that bill looked a lot rounder.


----------



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

redhead hen



ruddy hen


----------



## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

for the sake of comparisions on the same page, a hen ringer.


----------



## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

and yes, to an earlier "Grey patch" question. Hen Ringers have it also.



















buuuuut, im not so sure this hen "_RH_" wasnt a hen Ringer. Difficult to tell with 100% certainty from just a picture.


----------



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

It's tough just from the pics and without having the bird in hand, especially if we're talking a first year bird. I'd bet most of us could tell right off the bat exactly what kind of bird it was if we saw the way it was flying.


----------



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

Bird in question


----------



## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

look at the white edge of the secondarys, there's three on the bird in question, three on the referenced ringer examples (both mature & juvie). in the RH examples all the secondarys are edged in white (again both age examples) then again, the black edging on the RH examples are much more evident than the bird questioned, but nearly exactly like the Ringer examples. My eye's/monitor are also picking up some green in the tertials...

Ringer...


----------



## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

I just had a thought: Maybe he shot a hen *******. 

I've heard that there are a few of those in the Duchesne area...


----------



## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

Ruddy hens don't have the distinct white eye liner, for lack of a better term. The ring necks and the red heads do. This duck had the white eye liner.


----------



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

Dodger said:


> Ruddy hens don't have the distinct white eye liner, for lack of a better term. The ring necks and the red heads do. This duck had the white eye liner.


I was able to enlarge his pics finally, it doesn't have that ruddy "butterball" look to its head. It's not a big bird, I'd expect a redhead to have a longer look to it but it's hard to tell obviously.


----------

