Inland Diving Ducks

     Wintering genuses of diving ducks use their webbed feet to swim underwater down to the bottoms of rivers, estuaries, oceans, and large, human-made impoundments across much of the southern half of the United States to get their various foods.  But each genus of these diving ducks has a relative that winters in small flocks inland; on ponds and creeks, as well as on larger waters along seacoasts.  Those sleek and attractive kinds of ducks are the petite buffleheads, which belong to the river duck family, the handsome ring-necked ducks, that are bay ducks, and the striking common mergansers, in the merganser family.  By adapting to habitats that are different from those of their kin, these inland divers found ample food supplies, relatively free of competition, and founded new species.
     Drakes of bufflehead, ring-necked and common merganser species are feathered mostly black above and white below, which disguises their shapes, allowing them to blend into the water better.  And the distinctive, black and white, patterns of these handsome drakes allows them to impress lady ducks of each male's kind.  Male buffleheads have a large, white patch on each side of the head that is quite visible.  Male ring-necks have lovely, pale-gray flanks.  And drake mergansers have blood-red beaks and iridescent, green heads.
     Female diving ducks of each of these species, however, are dark brown or gray, depending on the kind of duck.  Each of their species' benefits from the dull feather coloring on females because the mothers chaperone their equally camouflaged ducklings.                  
     Diving ducks slip under water from the surface and swim with their webbed feet to the bottom, or close to it, to get food.  Buffleheads dive after aquatic seeds, insects, snails, small fish and crustaceans, and other edibles.  Ring-necked ducks swim under water after seeds mostly, plus insect larvae and snails.  And mergansers catch small fish in their long, thin, serrated bills.  Obviously, competition for food is reduced among these kinds of wintering diving ducks, which is why they all can winter together on the same bodies of water, at least at times.
     Look for these attractive, inland diving ducks during winter.  They help bring more beautiful life and interest to the waterways and impoundments they rest on and feed in.