# What kind of duck is it???



## Hunter_58346 (May 22, 2003)

We took this duck as it came in with mallards. There were two of them but we only got one. Go to hunting pic photo album and it is pic #2393


----------



## Robert A. Langager (Feb 22, 2002)

58346, I posted your pic for you. To post pics from the photo album, just type the following:

[siteimg]*photo number*[/siteimg]

That is a crazy duck. I have no idea!

[siteimg]2393[/siteimg]


----------



## Hunter_58346 (May 22, 2003)

Thanks Bob.


----------



## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

My knowledge of bird types is very limited, but it looks like a cross dresser to me !!!


----------



## Shu (Oct 21, 2003)

Kind of looks like a ruddy shelduck?????


----------



## Hunter_58346 (May 22, 2003)

it does at that! Now why are they here??


----------



## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

58346:

Is this picture a hoax? I am not saying you didn't shoot this, but if you really did shoot this around or near Devils Lake and it is a Ruddy Shelduck, well then you shot a very "out of place" bird.

I tried doing some research last night and the only information I can find says this bird is only found in Europe and Asia.

It has been seen in Eastern North America, but extreme rare cases.

Please, please tell me you have this delivered to the taxidermist already.

I would also take it over to the Regional G and F office. I would guess this could make for a great article in the ND Outdoors magazine or possibly the paper.


----------



## apeterson (Aug 3, 2005)

What ever it is... I have never seen one before... cool looking bird!


----------



## Hunter_58346 (May 22, 2003)

No hoax. As soon as my taxidermist gets back from goat hunting he will have it along with a mature Ross goose. I have done some research also and found out that there are between 200 and 350 breeding pairs left in central Asia. Sightings have been reported as far west as Kentucky.


----------



## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

I've contacted the USFWS for a second opinion.

Do you happen to have the weight and length of the bird?


----------



## zogman (Mar 20, 2002)

My bet is. It is NOT a Ruddy Duck :eyeroll:


----------



## smalls (Sep 9, 2003)

Hunter_58346 said:


> I have done some research also and found out that there are between 200 and 350 breeding pairs left in central Asia.


Update...Researchers now report between 199 and 349 breeding pairs left :wink:

Cool bird, I would have shot it too!


----------



## NDJ (Jun 11, 2002)

WOW!!


----------



## BROWNDOG (Nov 2, 2004)

So did anyone find out what kind of duck this was?????????


----------



## Dave Owens (Nov 11, 2002)

Could be a eclipse Harlequin duck. Summer range includes western Montana. See the Stokes field guide to North American birds.


----------



## Pluckem (Dec 26, 2002)

I dont see anything in common with a Harlequin duck and the posted pic. Maybe I have been looking at some wrong pictures. It also doesnt look like this duck is in eclipse plumage. Sweet looking duck, that is for sure.


----------



## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

I sent this address to a couple of the best birders in ND. They both replied:
"It is a Ruddy Shelduck which is a captive duck. Most likely an escapee, and not sure where they originate - eastern Europe? There were 3-5 at Clark Salyer NWR a couple years ago but I never was able to go up and observe them." "a Ruddy Shelduck, probably an escaped captive."

Another reference I found said they are fairly commonly raised in zoos and by people as hobbies and not infrequently escape. Suppose if enough of them escaped they could establish a breeding population in the wild.
I used to raise various exotic waterfowl and had a mink kill my pair of Barrhead geese (native to northern India and the Himilayas) so bought what I thought was a pinioned pair from another breeder. Turned out they werent's pinioned but only clipped and after the summer molt they flew away. So probably somewhere someplace, someone thought "Wow, what a rare goose for this part of the world!" If they survived, that is......


----------



## Hunter_58346 (May 22, 2003)

Could be what happened here as there were a pair of them. But most of the breeders that I have contacted have stated that they banded all of there birds. They have been seen on the East Coast and as far west as Kentucky....Who knows???


----------



## FLOYD (Oct 3, 2003)

Didn't somebody on this site shoot a goose from India last year????


----------



## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

> I used to raise various exotic waterfowl and had a mink kill my pair of Barrhead geese (native to northern India and the Himilayas) so bought what I thought was a pinioned pair from another breeder. Turned out they werent's pinioned but only clipped and after the summer molt they flew away. So probably somewhere someplace, someone thought "Wow, what a rare goose for this part of the world!" If they survived, that is......


Sooo thats where those came from.......... 8)


----------



## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

I just gotta know...when you pulled up on it did you go "what the...BOOM...hell is that?"
:lol:


----------

