Masked Duck
Encyclopedia
The Masked Duck is a tiny stiff-tailed duck
ranging through the tropical Americas
. They are found from Mexico
to South America
and also in the Caribbean
. Primarily non-migratory, Masked Ducks are reported as very uncommon vagrants in the southernmost United States
, along the Mexican
border and in Florida
.
The only member of the genus
Nomonyx, it is intermediate between the rather primitive Black-headed Duck
(Heteronetta) and the very apomorphic true stifftails. It is sometimes included with the latter in the genus Oxyura, but apparently the Masked Ducks of our time are the descendants of a missing link
in the Oxyurinae
evolution, having changed but little for millions of years.
Breeding adult
male
s have a rust-colored body with a black face and mottled wings. Adult
females, winter
males and juvenile
s have a barred brownish gray body, with 2 horizontal darkly colored stripes running through the buffy colored face.
These ducks mainly feed on seeds
,roots and leaves of aquatic plants. They also eat aquatic insects and crustaceans. They feed by diving. Masked Ducks breed in any freshwater water
body with marsh
vegetation and surrounded by heavy tree
cover. They also occur in mangrove
swamps. These ducks are usually very secretive, but they are not rare and not considered threatened by the IUCN.
Stiff-tailed duck
The stiff-tailed ducks are part of the Oxyurinae subfamily of ducks. All have, as their name implies, long stiff tail feathers, which are erected when the bird is at rest. All have relatively large swollen bills.These are freshwater diving ducks...
ranging through the tropical Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. They are found from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and also in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. Primarily non-migratory, Masked Ducks are reported as very uncommon vagrants in the southernmost United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, along the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
border and in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
The only member of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Nomonyx, it is intermediate between the rather primitive Black-headed Duck
Black-headed Duck
The Black-headed Duck is a South American duck allied to the stiff-tailed ducks in the subfamily Oxyurinae of the family Anatidae. It is the only member of the genus Heteronetta....
(Heteronetta) and the very apomorphic true stifftails. It is sometimes included with the latter in the genus Oxyura, but apparently the Masked Ducks of our time are the descendants of a missing link
Missing Link
Missing link is a nonscientific term for any transitional fossil, especially one connected with human evolution; see Transitional fossil - Missing links and List of transitonal fossils - Human evolution.Missing Link may refer to:...
in the Oxyurinae
Oxyurinae
Oxyurinae is a subfamily of the duck, goose and swan family of birds, Anatidae. It has been subject of considerable debate about its validity and circumscription. Most of its members have long stiff tail feathers which are erected when the bird is at rest, and relatively large swollen bills...
evolution, having changed but little for millions of years.
Breeding adult
Adult
An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age....
male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
s have a rust-colored body with a black face and mottled wings. Adult
Adult
An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age....
females, winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
males and juvenile
Juvenile (organism)
A juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour...
s have a barred brownish gray body, with 2 horizontal darkly colored stripes running through the buffy colored face.
These ducks mainly feed on seeds
SEEDS
SEEDS is a voluntary organisation registered under the Societies Act of India....
,roots and leaves of aquatic plants. They also eat aquatic insects and crustaceans. They feed by diving. Masked Ducks breed in any freshwater water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
body with marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
vegetation and surrounded by heavy tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
cover. They also occur in mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
swamps. These ducks are usually very secretive, but they are not rare and not considered threatened by the IUCN.