ID Keys: Male dark ruddy color with black mask, pale bluish bill.
Female (depicted below) brown overall with striped face
The
Masked Duck is a small duck of the American tropics, with a range that just
enters the U.S. in southern Texas and Florida. There, it is typically
uncommon, with fluctuating populations that seem to be associated with
longer-term weather patterns and availability of suitable wetland habitat.
Even when found in the U.S., they can often be difficult to spot, as they
usually prefer to hide in wetland vegetation, not coming out into open water
as much as most other duck species.
Habitat
In the small U.S. portion of their range,
Masked Ducks are found in freshwater marshes and ponds, with open water
surrounded by extensive areas of wetland vegetation. In Central and
South America, they also can be found in wooded swamps.
Diet
Feeds mostly on plant material, including
the roots, seeds and shoots of both aquatic and semi-aquatic plants.
They will also eat aquatic insects, small mollusks, and small crustaceans.
Behavior
Forages by diving and swimming
underwater in search of plant material and aquatic invertebrates. Will
also feed on seeds and other plant material above the water, and will
occasionally glean insects and mollusks from waterside vegetation.
Nesting
The nest of a Masked Duck consists of a
bowl of grasses, reeds, and other herbaceous material, placed in marsh
vegetation in shallow water. The female alone builds the nest, and
incubates the eggs. The young are protected by the female upon
hatching and leaving the nest, but young find their own food.
Song
Not a vocal species, typically silent.
A courting male will give a long rolling series of notes.
Migration
Considered a permanent resident
throughout its range, but local populations do tend to ebb and wane.
After a series of wet years in south Texas, populations notably increase,
although it's not sure if that's due to increased breeding success or
movement of birds from Mexico into (newly created) suitable habitat during
wet periods.
