The solidly dark back rules out most Aythya species besides Ring-necked
duck and Tufted Duck. The head shape, and the (faint, here) ring on the
bill look good for Ring-Necked. It also shows the pale spur by the wing
that would be bright white on an adult male.
Zach Schwartz-Weinstein
203 500 7774
On Thu, Aug 6, 2026 at 4:15 PM Joshua Malbin <joshuamalbin...> wrote:
> That is an odd duck.
>
> For others’ reference, I believe this is the checklist in question:
>
> https://ebird.org/checklist/S379383896 >
>
> On Thu, Aug 6, 2026 at 3:21 PM Gary Bletsch (via NYSBIRDS-L list) <
> <NYSBIRDS-L...> wrote:
>
>> Dear NY Birders,
>>
>> There was an odd Aythya duck at Dunkirk Harbor recently. That is in
>> Chautauqua County, NY. There had been a pair of Redheads there on the 21st
>> and 24th of July; each time, a drake Ring-necked Duck was with them, making
>> for an odd little out-of-season band of Aythya ducks.
>>
>> On the 2nd August at 1435, I birded there again. This time, there were
>> only two Aythyas. A drake Redhead was in the company of a duck that had me
>> puzzled; it did not look like the RNDU that I'd seen on the two previous
>> visits. I took photos and put them on my eBird checklist, initially
>> attempting to put the odd bird down as a Redhead.
>>
>> During the photo-uploading process, the Merlin application insisted that
>> the odd duck was a Ring-necked Duck. Looking at the photos, I cannot say
>> that it was a RNDU; the shape of the head seems wrong. Nor does the bird
>> look right for a REDH. Granted, I have never lived anywhere where I have
>> been able to see many Aythyas this time of year, so I don't have much
>> experience with them in eclipse or juvenile plumages.
>>
>> The bird does have a suggestion of what RT Peterson described as "a
>> vertical white mark before the wing," albeit not very pronounced.
>>
>> The hotspot is called Dunkirk Harbor; my checklist is number hecklist
>> S379383896although I know that sometimes that does not help people
>> trying to find a checklist on eBird!
>>
>> Anyway, I'd love to hear any opinions as to this bird's identity.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Yours truly,
>>
>> Gary Bletsch
>> Jamestown, NY
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