Northern Pintail (male) Anas acuta Riverrain Park, Ottawa, Ontario 15 March 2009

Northern Pintail (male) Anas acuta Riverrain Park, Ottawa, Ontario 14 March 2009 Next to a wood duck drake, I personally think northern pintail drakes are one of the most beautiful ducks in North America.  I absolutely love the metallic steel grey beak and metallic brown plumage of the head.

Lesser Scaup (female) Aythya affinis Andrew Haydon Park, Ottawa, Ontario 16 November 2008 Lesser scaup very closely resemble their cousin the greater scaup (A. marila).  From a distance, it is virtually impossible to distinguish the two unless they are right next to each other.  However, when viewed up close, the shape and size of the head and thickness of the beak can be helpful field markers in identification.