Duck, Duck, Goose! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Whistling

The photo is a black-bellied whistling duck attempting to land on water - they often make a great splash as they arrive. Whistling ducks nest in trees, and were formerly called "tree ducks." The Audubon guide describes them as "sociable and noisy," which is very apt. Black-bellied whistling ducks are found in northern South America, coastal Mexico, and along the Gulf Coast of the United States.

Their range is expanding, possibly encouraged by the placement of nest boxes and feeding by friendly humans. Fulvous whistling ducks can also be found in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent.

Answer: Teal

The photo shows a male blue-winged teal, which inhabits marshes and ponds over much of North America and parts of South America. The teal feed on vegetation. Often thought to be the fastest ducks by hunters, their flight speed is actually moderate, at about 30 miles per hour.

They tend to flush from the water's surface in large numbers quickly, which may be the source of the misconception. The green-winged teal is one of North America's smallest ducks, generally weighing in at less than a pound (140-500g).

The green-winged ranges further north than the blue-winged teal. The cinnamon teal is found in the western portion of both North and South America.

Answer: New Zealand

The Canada goose was imported into New Zealand in 1905 for hunting, but soon got out of hand. As in their natural habitat in North America, the birds are aggressive and messy and damage crops. In 2011, restrictions on hunting the birds in New Zealand were removed in an attempt to diminish their numbers and impact. Of note, some subspecies of Canada goose were nearly brought to extinction in North America.

The giant Canada goose, which weights around 11 pounds (5 kg) compared to the more common ~8 pounds (~4 kg), was thought to be extinct but a small, remnant population was discovered in the 1960s and successfully protected.

The resident range of the Canada goose is northern North America, with some birds reaching Kamchatka and northern China naturally.

Answer: Wood duck

Wood ducks are brightly colored ducks who do not have close relatives in North America - they are related to mandarin ducks, an Asian species. The wood duck ranges over much of the US and into southern Canada and northern Mexico. They are sexually dimorphic, meaning that the male and females have different appearances, as shown in the photo, with the less flashy female mostly in gray, but with a striking white area around the eye. They nest in tree cavities (often in nest boxes placed for their use) and the ducklings jump down from the nest, usually into water below but sometimes to the forest floor. In the winter, wood ducks eat mostly acorns, but they happily forage for wild rice and other seeds when available.

The other species listed are also colorful; the king eider and harlequin duck are primarily found in Alaska and Canada; they both are ground nesting birds.

Answer: Ring-necked duck

The ring-necked duck supposedly has a chestnut ring at the base of its black neck. The white ring around its bill is much more evident, and the peaked shape to its head and white area on the shoulder are more commonly used field marks for identification.

They range across North America. The duck appears in great numbers to eat wild rice in Minnesota lakes. They will settle on ponds to eat, but are considered diving ducks, diving down after invertebrates and submerged vegetation rather than going tail up like dabbling ducks.

Answer: Blue goose

At one time, the "blue goose" was considered a separate species from the snow goose. The color pattern is determined by a single, dominant gene. Snow geese are found in large flocks; they nest in the Arctic tundra but migrate down to winter on fields and marshland. Their loud honking and large numbers flying in on the wintering grounds is one of nature's spectacles. Immature birds of the classic white snow goose morph are somewhat brownish, still distinct from the gray body of the "blue goose."

The geese are popular with hunters - their numbers were so diminished in the early 20th century that hunting was halted for some time; they are widely abundant a century later. Ross's geese frequently join snow goose flocks - the Ross's goose is very similar in appearance (including a dark morph) but much smaller. Cackling goose was previously considered part of the Canada goose species but is now separated.

Answer: Gadwall

Gadwall breed in "prairie potholes," shallow wetlands that may form following spring rains or may be more permanent. This environment is found mainly in the Great Plains of North America, through the midwest of the United States into Canada. They migrate further south in the continent. Like other dabbling ducks, they tip up to feed on submerged vegetation. During the breeding season, they include more invertebrates, such as snails and aquatic insects, in their diet.

As with many ducks, the female is more subdued in coloration and does not have the prominent black rump of the drake; they may be hard to distinguish from female mallards, but are usually accompanied by the more identifiable males.

Answer: Baldpate

"Baldpate" is an archaic way of saying "bald head." I made up "white cap" as a duck name. Oldsquaw was a former term used for the long-tailed duck. Harlequin ducks are very colorful, arctic ducks. The wigeon is a bit more wary than the other dabbling ducks.

It has a shorter, stronger bill and is able to rip vegetation from fields as well as wetlands. The male has a striking green eye-stripe in addition to his cream cap. Both sexes have slate gray bills with a black tip.

Answer: Greater white-fronted goose

The binomial name for this goose, "Anser albifrons," literally means "goose with a white forehead." So the term white-fronted in the common name refers to the white feathers near the bill rather than its more speckled belly. It is called the "greater" because a smaller, "lesser" white-fronted goose is found in Asia and Europe.

The North American species is found mostly west of the Mississippi, and there is a darker morph found in the Sacramento valley called a "tule goose."

Answer: Lesser and Greater

This photo is of two female lesser scaup, differentiated by head shape - the lesser has a more peaked head shape with a flattened back compared to a rounder shape for the greater scaup. The lesser males have a purplish sheen to their head vs. greenish in greater males, but this is only visible in the right light.

They are both diving ducks, going underwater to seek their aquatic invertebrate meals. Both species are often found bobbing in large "rafts," often with other diving ducks including other the other scaup. Lesser scaup are more common in lakes and bays whereas greater may be along the coast.

A third scaup, the New Zealand scaup, is found elsewhere and is quite different in appearance.

Answer: Fish

"Merganser" comes from the Latin for "plunging duck," describing their feeding behavior. The "sawbill" nickname relates to the serrated edges of their bill which aid in capturing and holding onto fish. As a result of this diet, the flesh of a merganser is "fishy" tasting and thus hunters generally avoid them. North America has three species of merganser - common, red-breasted and hooded.

The male hooded merganser has a beautiful white crest with a black border. Common mergansers nest in tree cavities and, similar to wood ducks, the chicks jump from the nest within a day of hatching.

Answer: Egyptian goose

The Egyptian goose is an attractive bird that was often used to ornament grand estates and thus was able to escape and establish local populations in parts of the US, New Zealand and much of Western Europe. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa and the Nile Valley, and is depicted in ancient Egyptian artworks. Genetic analysis indicates that it is more closely related to shelducks than to geese.

It has a notable chestnut eye patch and raspberry pink legs. They can be very aggressive and will eat agricultural crops so, despite their attractiveness, as an invasive species in many states they may be hunted all year.

The other geese listed are breeds of domestic goose.

Answer: Orange

Mottled ducks are halfway between mallards and American black ducks in appearance, and in fact they can interbreed with mallards. In Florida, approximately 10% of all mottled ducks have mallard genetic material. They live along the Gulf coast of North America and as far north as South Carolina.

Their numbers have diminished due to habitat loss, declining about 75% in the period from the 1960s to 2015. The mottled duck is a dabbling duck, tipping up to feed on a variety of plant and animal matter. Likely related to their more southern range, they breed early in the season beginning in January and peaking in the spring months.

Answer: Shoveler

The Northern shoveler has a spoon-like bill with a filtering comb along the edges that helps it remove small crustaceans and seeds from the water. They are fairly common on freshwater lakes and ponds. The female has the same bill shape but is mottled brown. They are found throughout the globe, mostly in the Northern hemisphere. Shovelers form monogamous pair bonds that remain together longer than most dabbling ducks, which are usually only seasonally monogamous.

The wrong answers are other types of bird - the roseate spoonbill is a wading bird with a huge, spoon-shaped bill, the shoebill is an African stork, and the broad-billed hummingbird is a Central American species that is occasionally seen in Arizona and New Mexico.

Answer: Brant

Brant nest in the Arctic, and in the winter range along both sides of the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. In Europe they are called "Brent geese." The name "brant" comes from the Old Norse for "burnt," relating to their dark coloration. Their main food source is eelgrass, and their population plummeted when there was a blight on eelgrass in the early 20th century.

Some of the brant were able to forage on sea lettuce, and those individuals survived and led to an increase in the population as a result. Similarly, those individuals that moved inland during a deep freeze led the way, and more of the geese may be found foraging on grasses in fields, lawns and golf courses.

Despite this adaptability, Brant are threatened by rising sea levels and are considered a species of concern.