The three Mottled Ducks splashed a bit then took off.
What I took to be the female flew off to the right, while the two males looked headed for a crash with the Spoonbill.
The Spoonbill ducked his head…
as the dueling pair came in for a landing, squabbling for a moment, before they went their separate ways.
Mottled Duck Pair Landing, Part 1
Black Point Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida
February 10 2025
After watching the Mottled Duck pair land I was surprised to see there was a third duck approaching.
I didn’t hear him land so am not sure where he came from.
He quickly paddled over to the pair where he was not welcomed.
The situation got tense!
Black Point Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida
February 10 2025
I was watching this Roseate Spoonbill, hoping he’d come a bit closer, when a pair of Mottled Ducks dropped into the scene.
Not quite a crash landing, but not that graceful, either.
The Spoonbill and a Gallinule went about their business.
Compared to their size, these ducks make a pretty big splash.
The pair quickly settled and paddled across the pond.
Black Point Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida
February 10 2025
At the far end of the pond where the Black Skimmers were Skimming a few Mottled Ducks were waddling around.
They were surrounded by a variety of shore birds that were taking advantage of the low water.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC
April 3, 2024
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
April 11, 2022
They didn’t go far and swung around to catch the morning sun.
The pair stuck pretty close together, paralleling the shore line.
Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
January 6, 2020
This pair of Mottled Ducks was swimming in and out of patches of late afternoon sun on a shallow pond.
I stopped at a bench at the edge of the pond and they watched me as I watched them.
Baily Tract, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
January 6, 2020
I used the Merlin App to identify these as Mottled Ducks. Further reading at Cornell’s All About Birds:
It’s reminiscent of a female Mallard or an American Black Duck, but this is the closely related Mottled Duck. They’re so closely related that hybridization, especially with Mallards, poses a real threat to the Mottled Duck’s future.
In Florida, hybridization with introduced Mallards has produced many so-called “Muddled Ducks,” and care is needed to confirm identification of a “pure” Mottled Duck.
