American Black Duck vs Mottled Duck at Cameron Prairie NWR in Louisiana. (1 Viewer)

[mdmoshier2]

I took this picture at the Careron Prairie NWR 1 month ago. I feel like it is an American Black Duck not a Mottled duck due to the darker head and bill. the Black duck is listed as very rare and the Mottled duck is listed as just uncommon so I wanted to confirm the ID before putting on eBird. Thank you

 

[qwerty5]

Based on feather markings, the left bird appears to be Mottled Duck, while the right bird looks like American Black Duck. Disclaimer: I have no experience with Mottled Duck.

If you post this photo to eBird, and American Black Duck gets flagged as rare, then a regional reviewer who knows a lot more than I do will be able to confirm if it is indeed an American Black Duck.