Ducks and Geese in Colorado

Ducks and Geese in Colorado (non-passerines)

Ducks, Geese and Swans. Family Anatidae.

These are Common Merganser ducks. The first two pictures were taken on 15 June 2009 at Elevenmile lake in Park Co., Colorado. The first picture is a female, and shows the long feathers on the back of her neck. The second is a male and female pair. The third picture is from Elevenmile lake, 19 August 2008, the fourth is from Pueblo lake, 18 September 2008. The fifth was taken at the Fountain Creek Nature Center on 24 February 2010. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Mergus Species: M. merganser
More Common Merganser ducks, at the Fountain Creek Nature Center on 10 December 2011.
These are Hooded Merganser ducks. The male is in this partial picture, and the female is on the right in the full picture. They were seen at the Fountain Creek Nature Center on January 16, 2010. The second picture was taken on 18 January 2010 at the same pond. The full picture also includes two Belted Kingfishers. The third picture is of another male, and was taken on 2 March 2010 at the same place. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Lophodytes Species: L. cucullatus
A Mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) on Lake Pueblo. This picture was taken 31 May 2007. This Mallard made a practice of hanging around the boat dock, and would beg for left over bait that the fishermen might throw to him when they were leaving. The second picture is of a female Mallard, found at the Fountain Creek Nature center on 8 August 2009. She stayed by the side of a pond, and for several days I could walk within a few feet of her, and as long as I kept walking, she did not mind. Here is www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5UMBGd8p9w a video of a Mallard filmed on 21 May 2011 at the Fountain Creek Regional Park, Colorado. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Subfamily: Anatinae Genus: Anas Species: A. platyrhynchos
An American Wigeon duck (Anas Americana), male (drake). Picture taken 15 October 2007 on Prospect Lake, Colorado Springs CO. Ken Conger, web site at the top of this page, identified it for me. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th pictures were taken at Prospect Lake, Colorado Springs, November 2007. This duck is often spelled Widgeon, and this mis-spelling is so common that it has become accepted as valid. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Anas (disputed) Species: A. americana
This species is the Northern Shoveler. Sometimes also known as a Spoonbill. As usual, the male is brightly colored, and the female wears her drab garb. The pictures were taken on 19 March 2008 at Prospect Lake in Colorado Springs. They probably just arrived in Colorado Springs, since they are migratory. Amazingly, the third picture is the same bird on a stamp on an envelope that arrived from Hong Kong on the same day I took the original pictures. The fourth picture was taken on 2 March 2010 at the Fountain Creek Nature Center. The pond is partially frozen at night, so if this male had migrated, he must be a early arrival back here. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Anas (disputed) Species: A. clypeata
A female Wood Duck, at the Fountain Creek Nature Center on 20 June 2008. The second picture is of a female wood duck on the left, a male in the center, and the one on the far side may be a young one that does not have an adult's colors yet. This picture was taken on 26 September 2009 at the Fountain Creek Nature Center. They were far off, so the picture is not great. The third picture was taken on 1 June 2010 at the Fountain Creek Nature Center, and shows a male and female Wood Duck. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Aix Species: A. sponsa
A female Wood Duck with her 6 babies, at the Fountain Creek Nature Center on 7 July 2011.
Northern Pintails, the male in first picture, and the female in the second. These were seen at the Fountain Creek Nature Center, Fountain Colorado, on 5 April 2011. They are migratory birds, and spend the winter in warmer latitudes. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Anas Species: A. acuta
Green-wing Teals. They were found at the Fountain Creek Nature Center, Fountain Colorado, on 16 April 2011. They are migratory ducks. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Anas Species: A. carolinensis
Blue-wing Teals. They were found at the Fountain Creek Nature Center, Fountain Colorado, on 25 April 2011. They are migratory ducks. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Anas Species: A. discors
This pair of ducks was photographed on 13 July 2012 at the Fountain Creek Nature Center. Identification has not been made yet.
A family of Canada Geese on Lake Pueblo. This picture was taken 11 May 2007. The second picture was taken at Prospect Lake in Colorado Springs, CO on 29 October 2007. The third picture was taken at Elevenmile Lake, Park county, Colorado, summer 2005. The fourth picture was a close-up of a goose that would not leave the walking trail at the Fountain Creek Nature Center on 2 March 2011. He/she did not object to me walking past, as long as that was all I did. A video www.youtube.com/watch?v=luevRSwBtR4 taken in May 2009 near Colorado Springs. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Branta Species: B. canadensis
These are Chinese Geese (Anser cygnoides), which is a domesticated and selectively bred version of the Swan Goose. They were found on Prospect Lake, Colorado Springs, on 15 October 2007. The male is the one with the lump on top of his head. The original version of the Swan Goose is smaller, does not have the pronounced lump on the head, and is now considered endangered in the wild.