Southeast Birds

mallard

The male Mallard is most recognized by his green head and white ring around his neck. He has a yellow colored beak and orange legs and feet. His body is gray with a black patch on his rear that sports two tail feathers that curl upward and a rusty colored chest.

The female is mostly brown with some black and white. The crown of her head is black and a black streak runs across her eye making the lighter color above her eye look like an eyebrow. Her beak is orange, usually having a black patch, her legs and feet are also orange.

Both, male and female, have a blue speculum with a black and white border on their wings. Although the male tends to be slightly bigger than the female, they are both about the same size, about 20-30 inches in length. Their wingspan usually reaches around three feet.
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Description

The male Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird with long brown legs and feet. He has a mostly blue-gray body and wings accented with rusty and black colors. His long plumes hang from his lower neck and chest, and from his lower back at the start of breeding season. He sports black plumes from his eyes to the back of his mostly white head and a long yellow beak that turns orange during breeding season.

The female is the same as the male. (continue reading…)