The Breeze February 2015

Part 2:
Waterfowl
If it looks like a duck
and quacks like a
duck…it’s a duck, right?
If only it were that easy.
By Amber Hester Kuehn
Of the winter waterfowl described here, not all
are actually ducks. If you ask a five year old, they
would probably say that a duck is a bird that floats
on the water and waddles on land. However, that
would also describe a pelican, a gull, and several
others. Specifically, genetics qualify ducks as
members of the family Anatidae along with geese
and swans. Vaguely, they are defined as various
water birds having a broad flat bill, short legs, and
webbed feet. The following eight waterfowl are
presently winter visitors in Bluffton.
All of the birds listed are protected by the Migratory
Bird Treaty Act of 1918
Blue-winged Teal
The blue-winged teal is a dabbling duck that eats aquatic insects such
as midge larvae, but also dines on crustaceans, clams, and snails as well
as vegetation. In order to feed on the bottom in shallow water, they
invert their bodies to “dabble” or pick at the bottom of a freshwater
pond, shaking a tail feather on the surface while submerging their head.
Blue-winged teal are the second most abundant duck in North America,
behind the mallard. They migrate long distances and are usually the
first to arrive down South and the last to head back up North.
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