A dabbling duck, the mottled duck floats along the surface of the water and daintily dabs its bill into the water to feed, or tips over to reach vegetation at the bottom.
They are primarily found in southern marshes, which is why we see them across Florida in freshwater and brackish wetlands.
While they look a great deal like mallards and have a similar body shape, the males do not have a bright green head like a mallard.
Females and males look similar except for the bill. Male mottled ducks have a yellowish or olive green bill, while female bills are brown to orange.
A Florida subspecies called the Florida mottled duck is only found in wetlands and open waters throughout the Florida peninsula. They do not migrate, which is rare among duck species.
