# black or mottled?



## cfuller6 (Jan 30, 2011)

Killed this bird this morning in millen. Looks a little lighter than most blacks but Ive never heard of any mottled ducks up this way. What do yall think?


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## Nitro (Jan 30, 2011)

Nice Black!!!


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## gsp754 (Jan 30, 2011)

Black duck


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## cfuller6 (Jan 30, 2011)

Thats what i was thinking. Just looks a little lighter than few others Ive seen.


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## Public Land Prowler (Jan 30, 2011)

congrats!


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## folded77 (Jan 30, 2011)

congrats put it on the wall


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## BrownBuster (Jan 30, 2011)

I hate to be the bad guy here but my vote is a mottled duck. only saying that because the light edges of the feathers are wider than most blacks and the patch on the wing is more green blue rather than blueish purple. still a beautiful bird that i would probably get mounted. congrats


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## mcarge (Jan 30, 2011)

Mottled..congrats!!!


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## cfuller6 (Jan 30, 2011)

never heard of a mottled this far north, did some research and its possibly a mottled/ black hybrid? Either way hes already in the taxi


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## Larry Young Jr (Jan 30, 2011)

looks like a black to me. What do I know
Good luck and besafe
Larry


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## emusmacker (Jan 30, 2011)

Black duck.


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## WOODIE13 (Jan 30, 2011)

A black typically will have a bill that is not as yellow, never got a mottled, but it could be a hybrid with a mallard.


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## gsubo (Jan 31, 2011)

Straight off the Ducks Unlimited website

American Black Duck

Description: Black ducks are similar to mallards in size, and resemble the female mallard in coloration, though the black duck's plumage is darker. The male and female black duck are similar in appearance, but the male's bill is yellow while the female's is a dull green. The head is slightly lighter brown than the dark brown body, and the speculum is iridescent violet-blue with predominantly black margins. In flight, the white underwings can be seen in contrast to the dark brown body.


Sounds to me like you got a drake black.  Great job!


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## castaway (Jan 31, 2011)

Black


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## MudDucker (Jan 31, 2011)

No doubt about that one ... sweet black duck!


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## FireDoc (Jan 31, 2011)

Maybe it's not black or mottled. Maybe it's blottled. BUWAAAHHAAA.


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## Toonigh (Jan 31, 2011)

Black


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## kenway (Jan 31, 2011)

got one just like it this year. its a black duck.


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## Public Land Prowler (Jan 31, 2011)

gsubo said:


> Straight off the Ducks Unlimited website
> 
> American Black Duck
> 
> ...





> The adult Mottled Duck is 44–61 cm (17–24 in) long from head to tail. It has a dark body, lighter head and neck, orange legs and dark eyes. Both sexes have a shiny green-blue speculum (wing patch), which is not bordered with white as with the Mallard. Males and females are similar, but the male's bill is bright yellow, whereas the female's is deep to pale orange, occasionally lined with black splotches around the edges and near the base.
> 
> The plumage is darker than in female Mallards, especially at the tail, and the bill is yellower. In flight, the lack of a white border to the speculum is a key difference. The American Black Duck is darker than most Mottled Ducks, and its wing-patch is more purple than blue.



looks like brown on the edges of the feathers make it mottled...blue/green-ish speculum makes it a mottled drake..

purpleish speculum makes it a black,along with solid black bars above and below speculum..I hear people say they know what these differences are,but only a few will actually point out what they are..

We can agree this is a drake..and looking at the speculum it is green/blue..also alot of brown on the feathers..I'd have to say mottled unless someone can point out reasons otherwise..


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## mcarge (Jan 31, 2011)

What kind of duck is the center duck in my avatar..Black or mottled?

It seems to be a hard question to answer


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## Public Land Prowler (Jan 31, 2011)

Black duck drake
click on this and compare..I'd say based on the info and looking at the speculum ...it is a mottled you took..congrats..


http://ibc.lynxeds.com/files/pictures/BlackDuck2.JPG


OK..IDK because I have never killed either one,but by gosh if fla DNR doesn't know then what are we to do siince it is suposed to be a common bird there..

http://www.myfwc.com/WildlifeHabitats/Duck_modu_home.htm

http://www.myfwc.com/WildlifeHabitats/Duck_modu_identification.htm


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## Nitro (Jan 31, 2011)

It's a black. I guarantee , those of yall that are disputing it have never held both in your hand and compared them side by side.

My Dad and I devoted an entire season to chasing Blacks from Prince Edward Island to the marshes of SC and GA..........

A Mottled Duck will rarely leave a Coastal environment......... Millen is a long way from the Coast....

The lack of any white line on the speculum is another key indicator..

I have personally killed at least 30 mottled ducks and over 100 Blacks - that duck in the photo is a Black. Without question..


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## Public Land Prowler (Feb 1, 2011)

I think they are so crossbred and mixed up who knows anymore..I actually laid eyes and hands on a female black last sat..greenish bill..and violet speculum,with a distinct solid black bar above and below the speculum.there was not much brown in here anywhere.


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## 27metalman (Feb 5, 2011)

I wish it was alive so someone could ask him.  It's definitly a duck... a drake black duck.


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## greg@teamlivewire (Feb 7, 2011)

Nice black duck.  It's getting harder to find a pure black.  We saw more this year in Arkansas than normal.  Not alot of places in Georgia to kill a black, and most of the ones I knew aren't any more.  Congrats!


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## fourshot (Feb 7, 2011)

Look under the ducks head . If it has flakes like the side of the head its a black . If not is a mottled also under the ducks wings on the very edge there will be some black if it goes all the way out its a black .


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## bonafide (Feb 8, 2011)

No white on either side of speculum; looks like a black.


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## cmk07c (Feb 15, 2011)

*x2*



Nitro said:


> It's a black. I guarantee , those of yall that are disputing it have never held both in your hand and compared them side by side.
> 
> My Dad and I devoted an entire season to chasing Blacks from Prince Edward Island to the marshes of SC and GA..........
> 
> ...



I agree that it is black because of the lack of a white line, but remember the Florida Mottled likes to hang out slap in the middle of the penisula, as well as coastal waters. I've also seen plenty inland in Louisiana in Muerpas Swamp and Bonnet Care Spillway. Mottled is probably one of the more abundant ducks on Lake Okeechobee and that is inland. But then again there are a couple different "strains" of mottled ducks. It is way to confusing...


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## Nitro (Feb 15, 2011)

cmk07c said:


> I agree that it is black because of the lack of a white line, but remember the Florida Mottled likes to hang out slap in the middle of the penisula, as well as coastal waters. I've also seen plenty inland in Louisiana in Muerpas Swamp and Bonnet Care Spillway. Mottled is probably one of the more abundant ducks on Lake Okeechobee and that is inland. But then again there are a couple different "strains" of mottled ducks. It is way to confusing...



It is. I agree with your summation of Florida..

 We have killed also Blacks and Mottled Ducks on the same hunt at an "unnamed" WMA in coastal SC. 

So much so, that the biologists ask each hunter to only kill one "Brown" duck to keep folks from killing too many of either.

No matter, both birds are great trophies. I am making plans for my next Mexico duck hunt and have found a place that has lots of the Mexican Mallard subspecies...I intend to go -need one of  them for my little collection..


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## cmk07c (Feb 15, 2011)

*Wouldn't shoot..*



Nitro said:


> It is. I agree with your summation of Florida..
> 
> We have killed also Blacks and Mottled Ducks on the same hunt at an "unnamed" WMA in coastal SC.
> 
> ...



I think that if I had a mottled in the boat I would be scared to pull the trigger on what I thought was a black just because in the air it is almost impossible to tell and they are so similar. I've killed a few mottleds but never a black duck, but I'm looking forward to holding one, because I think that is what improves your identification skills when you really hold dead birds. I think people that debate the black, mottled, hen mallard look too much into the wing color. Some mottleds look real green in that area, some look a little more blue or purple I see how people can get confused if they haven't had em' in hand.


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## FOSKEY'S (Feb 15, 2011)

black ...i killed a pair this past season ,the drake was banded.. congrats


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## Anas Master (Mar 10, 2011)

Here is some more pics for yall to discuss...  My opinion is that it would take a much closer look to identify cfuller6's duck.  I have killed many Blacks, Mottleds, and Hybrids of each.  From what I can see in the picture it looks more like a mottled duck, but I've never heard of a mottled killed that far from the coast in Georgia.

cfuller6's duck has Buffy internal markings of the Scapular Feathers this usually indicates -  Mottled
Blacks usually have fine crisp buffy edges to their feathers

Blacks usually have finely dappled feathers underneath the chin whereas Mottleds have a clean buff colored chin.

The biologist who looked at the pair of duckson the tailgate agreed that the one on the right is a Mottled and the one on the left is a Black/Mallard hybrid but NOT an F1 hybrid


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## Anas Master (Mar 10, 2011)

sorry but some of my pictures didn't upload in the previous thread.  I'll keep trying.


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## Anas Master (Mar 10, 2011)

Here are the other two pictures that I was referring to in the earlier post. 

Like I said, the one with the green on his head is a Mallard/Black Hybrid not a first generation cross, but part Mallard. 

The other duck, the one on the right, could be a Black. A Biologist that was there said Mottled, BUT the duck had the dapples under the chin like a Black.  He also lacked the internal buffy  markings on the scapulars (where the wings connect to the body).  He was also Big for a mottled.  If he is a Black, he's definitely a lighter color variation and NOT the typical black like the one in my previous thread.


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## bangbird (Mar 10, 2011)

Is this a black or mottled?  I killed this duck this season in saltwater marsh....


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## Gut_Pile (Mar 10, 2011)

bangbird said:


> Is this a black or mottled?  I killed this duck this season in saltwater marsh....



black....and a fine one at that


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## king killer delete (Mar 10, 2011)

*Black*

black


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## DuckHuntin101 (Mar 10, 2011)

Black..


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## Anas Master (Mar 11, 2011)

It looks just like this one and this one is a Mottled.  Notice that the Mottled here has a clean buff colored throat.  The scapular feathers have the internal markings.  I don't think the blacks will ever have internal markings on the scapulars.


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## Anas Master (Mar 11, 2011)

More pics same bird as above


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## OliverHarrelson (Apr 5, 2011)




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## cmk07c (Apr 7, 2011)

They're both beautiful birds...


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## cfuller6 (Jan 20, 2012)

Seeing as how this was such a debate i figured i would post pics of the mount. Had a game warden tell me what he thought it was... lets see who can get it correct.


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## levi5002 (Jan 20, 2012)

your bird looks like a mottle to me, but i aint no expert. im sure the rest of the guys are

here is a pic of some mottles i killed earlier this season. hope this helps. oh and congrats!


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## Wastin Bullets (Jan 20, 2012)

definitely looks a lot like my black... but i'm still a newbie


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## Wastin Bullets (Jan 20, 2012)

btw that mount looks awesome!


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## wray912 (Jan 20, 2012)

Black....mottleds have white on thhee speculum


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## steveus (Jan 21, 2012)

Very nice duck, great prize in Millen or anywhere.

Steve


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