Masked Duck
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| Nomonyx dominica (Linnaeus, 1766) |
The Masked Duck (Nomonyx dominica) is a small Mexican, South American, West Indian, and Central American stiff-tailed duck. It is the only member of the genus Nomonyx.
Breeding adult males have a rust colored body with a black face and mottled wings. Adult females, winter males and juveniles have a barred brownish gray body, with 2 horizontal darkly colored stripes running through the buffy colored face.
Masked Ducks breed in any freshwater water body with dense marsh vegetation and surrounded by heavy tree cover. They also occur in mangrove swamps. These ducks are usually very secretive.
The birds are primarily non-migratory. Occasionally, reports of Masked Ducks occur in the southernmost United States along the Mexican border and in Florida, but are very uncommon.
These ducks mainly feed on seeds,roots and leaves of aquatic plants. They also eat aquatic insects and crustaceans. They feed by diving.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Nomonyx domnicus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern,and the criteria used
- "National Geographic" Field Guide to the Birds of North America ISBN 0-7922-6877-6
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol 1, Josep del Hoyo editor, ISBN 84-87334-10-5
- "National Audubon Society" The Sibley Guide to Birds, by David Allen Sibley, ISBN 0-679-45122-6
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