| Masked duck | |
|---|---|
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| Adult males,Tobago | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Genus: | Nomonyx Ridgway, 1880 |
| Species: | N. dominicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Nomonyx dominicus (Linnaeus, 1766) | |
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| Synonyms | |
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| Songs and calls |
Themasked duck (Nomonyx dominicus) is a tinystiff-tailed duck ranging through thetropicalAmericas.
The only member of thegenusNomonyx, it is intermediate between the rather primitiveblack-headed duck (Heteronetta) and the veryapomorphic true stiff-tailed ducks. It is sometimes included with the latter in the genusOxyura, but the masked ducks are now considered the descendants of amissing link in theOxyurini evolution, having changed little for millions of years.[2][3]
They are found from southernTexas andMexico toSouth America and also in theCaribbean. Primarily notmigratory, masked ducks are reported as very uncommon vagrants in the southernmostUnited States, along the Mexican border and inFlorida. As of 2000, the conservation status for masked ducks in Texas is 3,800 birds.[4] On April 1, 1962, it was recorded fromLowndes County, Georgia, where it was photographed byAlexander Wetmore.[5] Masked ducks breed in any freshwater body withmarsh vegetation and surrounded by heavy tree cover. They also occur inmangroveswamps.
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Breeding adult males have a rust-colored body with a black face and mottled wings. Adult females, winter males, andjuveniles have a barred brownish gray body, with two horizontal, dark-colored stripes running through the buff-colored face.
These ducks mainly feed onseeds, roots, stems,[6] and leaves of aquaticplants. They also eat aquaticinsects andcrustaceans. They feed by diving. These ducks are usually very secretive, but they are not rare and not considered threatened by theIUCN.[1]
