23 inches long with a wingspan of 35 inches. The American Black Duck is entirely blackish brown with a paler face and fore-neck. When compared to the similar sized female Mallard the American Black duck is noticeably darker. The American Black Duck has white underwing linings. The speculum is violet with no white border on the leading edge and only occasionally a thin white border on the trailing edge of the speculum.The tail feathers are brown rather than the white feathers of a Mallard. The male American Black Duck tends to be darker than the female. The male has an orange bill and the female has a dull green bill. The male sometimes has reddish orange legs while the female has orange legs.
The American Black Duck is an eastern species that is seldom seen in Nebraska. This particular bird was seen on the small pond in Child’s Hollow in mid November.
The American Black Duck was formerly known as the “Dusky Duck”. It frequently interbreeds with the very closely related Mallard and hybrids can be common. The call is similar to the quack, quack of the Mallard.
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