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Masked Duck Nomonyx dominicus Pato Dominico, |
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Male - Photo: G. Lasley
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Masked Duck Nomonyx dominicus Pato Dominico, |
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Male - Photo: G. Lasley
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IDENTIFICATION: A small diving duck. The male has a rufous brown body, black head, and light blue bill. In winter the male molts into a plumage similar to the female's, with two prominent dark horizontal lines on the head, and a gray bill. In flight a white wing patch is visible. Length: 30-36 cm.; average weight: males 406 g., females 339 g. VOICE: Usually quiet, but the female makes a hissing noise, and the male has a deep, throaty call note. HABITAT: Shallow, freshwater and brackish ponds, lagoons, swamps, and flooded fields with plenty of floating or marsh vegetation. HABITS: Feeds on seeds, roots and shoots of aquatic plants, and some insects and crustaceans. It can dive for its food and uses its tail as a rudder to steer under water. This species stays hidden in dense aquatic vegetation much of the time. The Masked Duck can take off vertically from the water. In contrast, the Ruddy Duck takes off with a running start. This is an adaptation that allows the Masked Duck to safely forage in tiny pools. During the rainy season, the female makes a simple nest of reeds and grasses, with a roof to hide the nest. A typical nest contains 3-6 white or buffy eggs, but sometimes more than one female will lay her eggs in the same nest. The Masked Duck will also lay its eggs in other waterbirdsÆ nests. The female incubates the eggs for about 28 days. The young leave the nest within two days of hatching, and the male helps the female feed and protect the young. STATUS AND CONSERVATION: A rare resident in Puerto Rico, but common elsewhere in Latin America. Historical population levels are uncertain because of its shy nature, but the draining of wetlands has reduced potential habitat in Puerto Rico. RANGE: Breeds from the Caribbean islands and coastal Mexico south to Colombia, Argentina, and Uruguay. A few birds wander to southern Texas and Florida. Regular locations to find this species are in the marshes of the Humacao and Ca±o Tiburones nature reserves. TAXONOMY: ANSERIFORMES; ANATIDAE; Anatinae |
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Female - Photo: G. Beaton
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Habitat - Photo: D. North
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References Bent, A.C. 1923. Life histories of North American wild fowl, part 2. Smithsonian Instit. U.S. National Museum Bull. 126. (Reprinted by Dover Press, NY, 1962). del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds. 1992. Handbook of Birds of the World, Vol. 1. Ostrich to ducks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1988. The birderÆs handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. Simon and Schuster/Fireside, NY. Eitniear, J.C. 1999. Masked Duck (Nomonyx dominica). in The birds of North America, No. 393 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. Lockwood, MW. 1997. A closer look: Masked Duck. Birding 29(5):386-390. Madge, S. and H. Burn. 1988. Wildfowl: an identification guide to the ducks, geese, and swans of the world. C. Helm, London. Ortiz Rosas, P. 1981. Guía de cazador: aves de caza y especies protegidas. Depto. de Recursos Naturales, San Juan, PR. Raffaele, H.A. 1989. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton. Raffaele, H.A. 1989. Una guía a las aves de Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes. Publishing Resources, Inc., Santurce, PR. Raffaele, H.A., J.W. Wiley, O.H. Garrido, A.R. Keith, and J.I. Raffaele. 1998. Guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton. Next related species in taxonomic order Previous related species in taxonomic order |
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