Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula)

This is a typical male Mottled Duck, resident on the Gulf Coast and in Florida. Birds in Texas are the race "A. f. maculosa" which can be confused with Mexican Duck, a recent split from Mallard which ranges further west in the Texas interior. Note this bird's more blended, less contrasting dark cap and eyeline compared to similar Mexican Duck. Note also the violet (not blue) speculum lacking narrow white borders as well as the small dark gape mark on this bird. On this visit we received daily eBird rarity reports of Mexican Duck, none of which were documented with photos and whose occurrence here where the similar Mottled Duck is abundant is controversial. Local birders were skeptical of these reports and we did not see any candidate Mexican Ducks on this visit.