When The Ducks Come Quacking In

As winter blooms into spring on the Platte River, vast numbers of ducks return to the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary alongside cranes and geese. The sanctuary’s shallow channels, wetlands, and nearby fields create ideal habitat for ducks during migration through the Central Flyway. Some common duck species observed at the sanctuary during migration include Wood Ducks, Mallards, Hooded Mergansers, Buffleheads, Blue-winged Teals, Redheads, Green-winged Teals, Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintails, Cinnamon Teals, and Gadwalls. Some of them arrive as early as February and sometimes stay to breed/raise ducklings into the summer.

 One of the most common species seen is the Mallard. This duck can be found year-round in Nebraska, but it is more actively seen during December to June in Central Nebraska. Like most ducks, Mallard males and females are sexually dimorphic, meaning that male and female ducks look distinctively different when it comes to plumage color and pattern, and size.  This is especially noticeable in the spring, when males have green heads, yellow bills, a white neck ring, reddish/brown chests, and gray bodies, whereas the females have mottled brown with an orange bill. Mallards are dabblers, and are often spotted “tip up” as they forage for plant material and invertebrate larvae underwater. Though common, the Mallard is always a delight to see swimming and foraging in the Platte River.

A rarer sight to see on the Platte River is the Cinnamon Teal. One individual was spotted numerous times with a group of Blue-winged Teals this spring around Rowe Sanctuary. Though it is possible for a Cinnamon Teal to be seen in central Nebraska, it is out of their normal migration pattern, which is closer to Western Nebraska/Eastern Colorado. One explanation for the Cinnamon Teal following this group of Blue-winged Teal is that they are closely related species, commonly hybridizing.  They also have nearly identical habitat requirements and migration habits, causing them to associate frequently.

The Cinnamon Teal are sexually dimorphic as well, but less so than the Mallard, with the males and females looking remarkably similar in the fall. One distinguishing factor to identify this bird in the field is that male Cinnamon Teal have red eyes, whereas females have dark brown eyes. Males also have a reddish-brown head/chest/stomach, a mottled brown back, powder-blue shoulders, and green secondary feathers that are easily seen during flight. Females are mottled brown with a faint dark eye line and cap, with the same light-blue secondary feathers. Cinnamon Teal are shallow foragers eating mostly plant material with occasional insects or small crustaceans.

Each year the duck migration brings a collage of vibrant feathers to the subdued winter colors of the Platte River- as if to remind the river that spring is here and it is time to paint the landscape with a kaleidoscope of color! However, their migration alongside the cranes and geese is more than just a seasonal spectacle- it’s a colorful reminder that migration is a complex, interconnected system- one in which the river and surrounding habitats are critical in supporting!