Utah Birds
Photo Quiz Answer
  

  
      Quiz # 009  (February 2011)
  

 

  
  

 

  
Comments
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This month our bird is pretty obviously a duck. More specifically, we have a dabbling duck and not a diving duck. Even including rarities that only leaves us 12 options on the Utah checklist. Many of those 12 have a black hind end with some white like this bird. On several of those species, including both Gadwall and Mallard, the entire vent area is black and the tail is white. Our bird also shows a black ventral region, but unlike Mallard or gadwall this bird has whitish or buffy undertail coverts. One other useful clue is the leg color. From the little bit we can see the legs appear grayish, not definitely not bright orange like a mallard. The only duck with buffy undertail coverts is the Green-winged Teal, which is the correct answer this month.
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Correct Answers (in order received):
  1. Craig Fosdick
  2. Cliff Weisse
  3. Weston Smith
  4. Melanie Hoffman
  5. Oliver Hansen
  6. Ryan O’Donnell
  7. Matthew Mills
  8. Yvonne Carter
  9. Dominique Roche
10. Aaron Searle
11. Leah Lewis
12. J. Shirley

Incorrect Answers:
     Gadwall – 4
     Mallard - 4
     American Wigeon - 1