American Black Duck - Duck Hunting - Wetland Hunting
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Description
With rounded beaks, bulky bodies, and thick bills, the American Black Ducks resemble Mallards. Since they behave like any other dabbling duck, they spend most of their time sitting high in the water with high tails. Typically, the American Black Ducks measure 54-59 cm long, weigh720 -1,640g, and have a wingspan ranging from 88 to 95 cm. Although females are slightly paler and have duller olive bills than males, the American Black Ducks usually have very dark brown bodies with yellow-green bills and gray-brown heads.
Habitat
The main habitats include marshes, rivers, ponds, bays, estuaries, and lakes. The birds can thrive in both salty and freshwater habitats. During the winter season and migration, the American Black Ducks rest and forage in protected bays, marshes, and ponds.
Diet
The American Black Ducks are omnivorous, although their diet is determined by season or location. These birds feed on plant material on freshwater bodies, including roots, leaves, berries, and seeds of sedges, pondweeds, and grasses. However, these birds feed on snails, aquatic arthropods, mussels, small crustaceans, and clams in tidal zones. Their feeding behavior is mainly by dabbling, upending and they rarely feed by diving. While on land, the ducks feed by plucking seedings, grazing, or grubbing for roots.
Eggs
Females lay 7 to 11 eggs which range from creamy white to greenish buff. Females do incubation only for 23 to 33 days, although all the eggs hatch in the space of a few hours. In the early days, females lead the young to water, mainly after duck. The ducklings look for their own food, although females play a massive role. After two months, the young fledge and they are abandoned by the female.
Nesting
The female mainly builds the nest on the ground among dense vegetation near a water source. The nest site can be on top of a stump, duck blind, or in a large tree cavity. When the nest is built on the ground, a shallow depression lined with down and plant material is ideal for most American Black Ducks.
