| any of several ducks having dusky or black plumage, as Anas rubripes, of the northeastern U.S. and Canada. |
| black duck n. A common duck (Anas rubripes) of the northeast United States and Canada, characterized by black or dusky brown plumage and often found in saltwater marshes. |
black duck
(Anas rubripes), highly prized game bird (family Anatidae) of eastern North America, inhabiting salt, brackish, and freshwater marshes, as well as lakes, rivers, and beaver ponds. These ducks winter from Nebraska to Texas and along the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to Florida; their preference for seafoods such as periwinkles and mussels enables them to winter so far north. The sexes are similar in appearance-blackish brown bodies and tan heads-resembling a mallard hen but with reddish feet. The white underwing is conspicuous during flight
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